From Sorrow to Hope: The Shift in the Theme of Change in The Metamorphosis
The impact of change on the characters in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis shifts from being seen as a negative force in the beginning to a positive force in the end.
Kafka’s theme of change begins negatively as Gregor’s metamorphosis causes grief for his family. Right away, his metamorphosis is seen as a frightening incident and “For the first fortnight”(114) his parents stay out of his room, not able to look at him or come in contact with him at all, not even to care for him. At this point it’s so terrible for them they completely shut it out and barely ever think about it, they don’t even consider him their son. The exception to this is Grete, who takes care of Gregor, who feeds him and cleans his room. Kafka says Grete wants to “spare them such anxieties”(109), meaning that she’s less disturbed than them by the change that has taken …show more content…
Gregor’s parents’ dread of his new form is shown clearly when Gregor innocently tries to exit his room, and his father comes at him with a stick, and “the fixed idea of driving Gregor back into his room as quickly as possible”(104). The fact that this act of violence was Father’s first reaction shows that his father isn’t thinking about Gregor as his son, he is only focused on the horrible thing he has become. The morning of his change, Kafka refers to Gregor’s metamorphosis as a “great misfortune”(99). Saying this makes it clear to the reader that they should see it as a bad thing, and establishes that the characters as well are impacted negatively. Just as his family is impacted by this change, it’s difficult for Gregor to adapt to his new form after his metamorphosis. In the beginning, after his family finds that he’s locked in his room, they call for a doctor and a locksmith. Gregor responds to this by saying he “felt himself drawn once more into the human circle”(99). This shows that he has a desire to not be the thing he is. He sees his insect
The impact of change on the characters in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis shifts from being seen as a negative force in the beginning to a positive force in the end.
Kafka’s theme of change begins negatively as Gregor’s metamorphosis causes grief for his family. Right away, his metamorphosis is seen as a frightening incident and “For the first fortnight”(114) his parents stay out of his room, not able to look at him or come in contact with him at all, not even to care for him. At this point it’s so terrible for them they completely shut it out and barely ever think about it, they don’t even consider him their son. The exception to this is Grete, who takes care of Gregor, who feeds him and cleans his room. Kafka says Grete wants to “spare them such anxieties”(109), meaning that she’s less disturbed than them by the change that has taken …show more content…
Gregor’s parents’ dread of his new form is shown clearly when Gregor innocently tries to exit his room, and his father comes at him with a stick, and “the fixed idea of driving Gregor back into his room as quickly as possible”(104). The fact that this act of violence was Father’s first reaction shows that his father isn’t thinking about Gregor as his son, he is only focused on the horrible thing he has become. The morning of his change, Kafka refers to Gregor’s metamorphosis as a “great misfortune”(99). Saying this makes it clear to the reader that they should see it as a bad thing, and establishes that the characters as well are impacted negatively. Just as his family is impacted by this change, it’s difficult for Gregor to adapt to his new form after his metamorphosis. In the beginning, after his family finds that he’s locked in his room, they call for a doctor and a locksmith. Gregor responds to this by saying he “felt himself drawn once more into the human circle”(99). This shows that he has a desire to not be the thing he is. He sees his insect