Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” is not a story that details the transformation of a single character, but rather the reversal of an entire family and their roles. The novella begins with Gregor waking to find that he has turned into an “insect-like” creature overnight and, with his motor functions compromised, can no longer serve as the sole-provider of his family. Prior to this point in the novel, Gregor’s family was bug-like and parasitic for having lived off of their son’s income at the expense of his happiness. However, beyond this point, the family is forced to sacrifice their own comfort for Gregor, which ultimately proves to be too difficult a task for the Samsa family. The novel concludes with their son dying a lonely death and the family selfishly (or maybe just slightly gratefully) returning to an optimistic life.
The novella was obviously very depressing, as its center focus is the falling apart of a family. It reminded me how difficult it is to maintain familial relationships. They require selflessness and sacrifice and patience… qualities that are actually rare to find despite the tremendous number of families there actually are at this very moment. In “The Metamorphosis,” Gregor proves to possess these qualities throughout the entire story. In the beginning, he works everyday and lives a boring, unmoved life for the sake of his family. Even after his transformation, Gregor is so desperate to keep his family happy that he succumbs to his wounds and allows himself to die.
In a way, Gregor’s character reminded me very much of my parents and the life they lead. They’ve spent their entire lives working and sacrificing their happiness and comfort to provide for my brother and me. Like Gregor turned into an immobile bug, they will turn into immobile old people, and like Gregor’s wound from the apple, my mother is permanently wounded and scarred from a collapsed vein. Only unlike the Samsa family, I hope that I will possess the qualities to provide for them in their time of need.
First, I wanna say that you picked out a theme in The Metamorphosis that I totally did not pick up on. I did not view the story as Gregor’s attempt to keep his family together, but rather the consequences of a transformation on selfish parents. Even so, I think there is a key difference between your family and that of Gregor’s. Although you did a great job analyzing the relationship between Gregor and his family, I believe that you (as a consumer) and Gregor’s parents (also consumers) view your providers in very different ways. Gregor, like your parents, feels a calling to help his family. However, I believe the Samsa family abused the willingness of Gregor to help. In a real family, like yours, the person who is being provided for is grateful and acts in a manner similar to your final statement, “…I hope I possess the qualities to provide for them in their time of need.”
I liked our interpretation a lot ! Gregor I feel was used by his family in a way (after a while, they expected him to be the sole provider for the family). And you’re right — it is extremely difficult nowadays to keep a family together with all the distractions going on around us. His parents don’t even care he lives a boring and unsatisfying life ! What great parents…no just kidding. They abandon him and celebrate his death. What a happy ending to such a morbid story
As Austin pointed out, in his previous comment, I do not believe your relationship with your parents constitutes as a sole beneficent of selfless providers. Gregor’s parents are, as you perfectly stated, insects who sustain themselves off of Gregor’s hard work and self sacrifice. By your brief description, I do not believe you are the same blood sucking leech as the mother and father are in Kafka’s story. However, your connection inspired me to inspect my own relationship with my parents. Am i a parasite who mindlessly takes and takes and takes from my creators? Unlike Gregor’s mother and father, do I appreciate all that my parents do for me? Realistically, I probably do not say thank you enough, or acknowledge every selfless act my parents complete. I am but a teenager and a victim of sheltered living. Maybe the Samsa parents have the same defense; they are used to being provided for. Accustomed to having Gregor financial support the family, they fell into the “my mom drives me to school everyday so now I forget to say thank you” routine. In their defense, there is a possibility they are not as emotionless and ungrateful as i originally painted them to be…but then i remember the final park scene and i realize they are.