subtle and very delicate. Kafka wrote in afashion that would allow a reader to interpret the story in a way that may be different each time itis read. From the beginning, we see that a young, hard working, man, Gregor, has turned intoa bug, and as the story continues, one can see that he was much more than an insect. What elsecould he be? Even after his death, it is obvious that Gregor was there for a cause.
His familydepended on him for their happiness. The purpose for his existence was to serve his family. Hismother and father created him and were the driving force behind his physical change. There was alack of communication that existed throughout the story that revealed how unappreciated they wereof Gregor and his sister, who was on her way towards becoming like her brother.
Gregor was very important to the family’s welfare. At first he was the only workingmember of the family, and his job was very important; the whole future of Gregor and his familydepended on it (p. 84). For so long he wanted to quit his work, because he wasn’t happy with it.
But he said to himself, ” Besides, I have to provide for my parents and my sister. (pp. 82-83). ” He felt that his family was too dependent of him.
When Gregor wouldnt let anyone in hisroom in fear that they would be horrified by his condition, he thought that his family was harassinghim because he was in danger of losing his job, and because the chief would begin harassing hisparents again for the old debts” (p. 76). At this point, everyone was angry and wanted him to getup for work. All that mattered to the family was what Gregor was able to provide. After his secret ofchange to an insect was discovered, they realized that he was no longer of any use to the family,and he was unappreciated in every way.
He didn’t have his job and no longer had anything to offer. “The house soon started to fall apart; the household was reduced more and more “(p. 113). Gregorwas now a problem for he had no function in the family. They locked him up, imprisoning him bynot allowing him out of his room.
Slowly, his possessions were removed, and for some time no onebothered to clean his room, the cleaning of his room could not have been more hastilydone. “Streaks of dirt stretched along the walls, here and there lay balls of dust and filth. ” (pp. 114-115). Anything that was not needed for the moment was simply thrown into Gregors room. They couldn’t see beyond the obvious.
To them he was only a bug and not Gregor. For thisreason, they simply did not show him the respect that he deserved. Understanding Gregor was something that his parents failed to do. Even before hismetamorphosis, there was a communication problem within the family. When Gregor first speaksto answer his mother, he didn’t recognize his own voice.
Kafka explains: “Gregor had a shock ashe heard his own voice answering hers, unmistakably his own voice, it was true, but with apersistent horrible twittering squeak behind it like an undertone, that left the words in their clearshape only for the first moment and then rose up reverberating round them to destroy their sense,so that one could not be sure one had heard them rightly” (p. 70). As awful as he sounded,his mother did not recognize the difference in his voice, suggesting that they didn’t speak often. Nothing changed after his metamorphosis, however, and the family continued tomisunderstand Gregor.
They failed to realize that, even as a bug, Gregor was still there and that hecould understand everything they had to say. Many times he tried to show his loyalty, “but themore humbly he bent his head his father only stamped on the floor the more loudly (p. 86). ” His sister, whom Gregor trusted most, even tried to convince his parents that Gregor is nolonger with them. “My dear parents, she said, things cant .
