I could never have imagined the giant cockroach, Gregor becomes without this image from the cartoon show, Courage the Cowardly Dog. 
Of course my image of Gregory’s transformation was less vile and evil when compared to this cartoon character who was a villain. I would have much rather preferred this cartoon picture to a more realistic one. This is because early in life I realized the correlation between the size of insects to directly related to my dissatisfaction toward them. A cartoon version changes my view of Gregory and makes it much more bearable.
Gregory’s concern for making it to work on time and supporting his family invoked these two images:
The running businessman represents Gregor, who is extremely stressed on time because of his company’s strict policy for punctuality. Even though he became an insect, he pays no attention to his change. He is more concentrated on the risk of losing his job if he fails to make it to work on time. The sand hourglass references the saying “time is money.” This is exactly how Gregor feels and probably more so than others because of his family’s financial situation. The moment the chief clerk sees Gregor’s new form is the moment he loses his job and all the sand in the hourglass runs to the bottom.
The sound I heard when his family turns his back on Gregor is horrific.
Over time his family slowly distances themselves away from him. His father attacks him with an apple and his sister stops taking care of him. Instead of feeling love for him, they see him as a burden and eventually his death frees them. Familial love is extremely important in this case because it did not hold. In the youtube video the glass is allowed time to fall and finally shatter. This is how I saw and heard Gregor’s relationship to his family gradually deteriorate over time and then break.
Gregor suffers both physically and emotionally from the people he once supported and cared for. Although the treatment toward him is especially harsh in the story such as when his father attacked him and nearly killed him, their behavior is understandable on some level. His family faced an unknown element. For the lack of a better image, I provided an image of space to represent the unknown.
We don’t know everything about space and it is less tangible to us. When we think of the unknown, we feel fear. Since we don’t know, we are unable to own or control it. This inability leads us to the feeling of fear. Fear can be brought up if we acknowledge the existence of something we have little to no information about. At the same time, it may spark other feelings such a curiosity. Gregor’s transformation is a mystery to his family and his large insect form is something that is unknown to his family and those around him. Of course his insect form may play a part in his family’s radical decision to no longer consider him a part of the family, but the unknown element played a part as well. His mother shows signs of fear and surprise when she sees her son for the first time after the transformation, which is understandable. Most of us would not be able to stomach the fact that someone close to us suddenly became a cockroach. This is strange and unheard of and we fear it. This fear and element of unknown plays a part in the growing distance that is created between Gregor and his family.
Overall I enjoy the book, but it was depressing how his family’s view of him become worse as the story progressed.
I’m not sure if I have to cite the link, but just in case here are the links to the media I used:
http://www.bogleech.com/courage/courage-schwick8.jpg
http://monkeymediasoftware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Time-Management.jpeg
http://www.uprockaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/time_is_money1-304×350.jpg
http://ghostradio.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/deep-space-1-1024×7681.jpg
Citations Corrections:
“Courage in the Big Stinkin’ City.” Courage the Cowardly Dog. Cartoon Network. 7 Dec. 2000. Television.
Danielsson, Daniel. “‘Glass’ Shatter.” Online Video Clip. Youtube. Youtube, 6 Mar. 2009. 11 Sept. 2013.
I am unable to find the creators of above images.
You put a lot of detail in your reasoning behind your images and video. I especially like your explanation of your space picture. It is a broad idea but can fit well into so many stories. Human beings are creatures of habit so they fear the unknown. But there are other representations of the unknown like the dark, black holes and a few others.
I did not really get the falling glass video though. I personally feel that it is not a very accurate representation of Gregor’s relationship with his family. I think his family pushed him away more than just simply letting him die. His father attacked him, his sister tried to take a way his furniture. A person purposefully shattering he glass would have been more accurate in my opinion.
Other than that I see how the pictures you chose relate to the story and how they reflect how you felt.
Alan, I found your comparison of Gregor’s transformation to “Courage the Cowardly Dog” very interesting. I especially enjoyed reading your take on the fear of unknown. Although I found your discussion of fear and how it led to the deterioration of the familial relationships very engaging and quite plausible, I don’t agree with it. I think what led to the downfall of Gregor’s relationships with his parents and sister is their selfishness. When it became clear that Gregor was in no state to financially contribute to his family, his family members decided not to take care of him. Their priorities changed and they became increasingly negligent towards Gregor. I understand that they had to move on with their lives, but I think if they really loved Gregor, they would’ve missed him, spoken to him, or at least about him. For this reason, I found the ending a little bizarre. There wasn’t a “glass-shattering moment” at the end, which shocks the reader and the characters in the books, (although I do think that the sound fits the weakening of familial relationships with time). It is unfortunate that Mr. and Mrs. Samsa decide to go to the park for a rare and special jaunt the same day their son passed away. In addition, they enjoy their evening as if there is nothing has changed in their lives (other than time). The parents concur that its time they find a suitor for Grete. This nonchalance and negligence is really disappointing because it makes the family seem better off without Gregor.
I really like your explanations behind your pictures and video. Nice cockroach image selection too! The fear of the unknown description is a very unique and interesting take on his family’s actions. While I agree that the fear of the unknown was a big factor in the separation between Gregor and his family, I feel like there was also a lack of respect and selfishness that led up to his abandonment and death. Gregor worked really hard at a job he did not enjoy to support his family and put his family’s financial situation ahead of his own well-being even after his transformation. Meanwhile, his family was hesitant to work and didn’t want to support him. They also did not give Gregor any respect after his death. This shows that there is more than a simple fear of the unknown. I personally didn’t get the image of a shattering glass when his family broke away from him; I saw the slicing of an apple (probably the same one stuck on his back) where one side is rotten and the other isn’t. The separation was done on purpose because Gregor’s family did not want Gregor (the rotten side) around any more because he was useless to them.