I read Metamorphosis on my Kindle and somehow managed to overlook the first page which explicitly mentioned that Gregor had turned into a cockroach. Reading the story I was kept in suspense trying to figure out what was going on, and the image of Gregor in my head developed more naturally since I was not told that Gregor was a cockroach.
I kept thinking of Disney’s James and the Giant Peach throughout my reading. I vaguely remember the details of the movie when I watched it as a 3 or 4 year old, but I do remember being terrified at some of its scenes:
The bugs are personified with faces and other human-like attributes. This is what I imagined Gregor to generally look like.
Here’s a trailer:
My reading felt dark and disturbing. I imagined Tim Burton styled visuals and illustrations.
When I reread the beginning of the story and realized that his “metamorphosis” was specifically mentioned, two things happened:
- I felt dumb for overlooking the most important detail of the story.
- I began frustrated at Gregor’s nonchalant attitude towards his transformation.
(On a side note, stock images of people being frustrated are way to dramatic for some reason)
He’s concerned about getting to work, his family, and money among other things when he should be worrying about himself. I felt anxious reading the story because I imagined myself in the same situation. Other than the fact that I felt more than a bit uneasy imaging such a scenario, I could not relate to Gregor’s reaction or ability to cope (somewhat even if that would prove untrue since he dies).
I imagine Gregors’ family’s reaction to him, namely his mother to go something like this scene from Toy Story. The baby’s face would be Gregor’s mothering trying to remember that the creature in the other room his her son, and emerging from the darkness showing the toy’s full form is the realization of what Gregor has actually become.
That’s funny. I kind of overlooked the idea too, but I was thinking that Gregor was simply having a dream of being a cockroach instead of actually being one. The reference to James and the Giant Peach is also similar to the image I have of Gregor; since the whole movie is stop-motion animation nothing is truly smooth between each movement, and that’s exactly how Gregor moves sometimes taking hours to complete the simplest of movements.
When I think of Gregor’s reaction, it becomes more plausible if you think of him as a samurai. Samurai’s were known for being honorable people with a high moral code to uphold to no matter the circumstances. Being said, if a samurai was in that position I think his first thoughts would be the same because the point of their lives, as they see it, is to help and protect her family.