Gregor Samsa is an apparently normal boy; He has a job and supports his family. He is the sole income earner in his family, although not by choice but rather by necessity or so he has been made to believe. He lives a rather mundane existence that he is not particularly comfortable with. One morning, in what seems like a dream, he wakes up and transforms into a giant cockroach, and while this may seem a little alarming, his first worry is that he will be late for work. His family seems a little surprised by his new appearance but continues to believe that it is still Gregor. As time passes the family begins to lose faith and as their faith declines, so does Gregor's health. As soon as the family's belief that the cockroach is Gregor's incarnation completely vanishes, he dies. So in the case of Gregor Samsa the belief that he is not his appearance is his source of life. Initially the concern the family shows seems genuine, especially for his sister Grete who shows the utmost sympathy for Gregor and takes on the responsibility of being his caretaker. His mother and father seem completely desperate about Gregor's transformation and feel that he is a great obstacle to them since he is the sole breadwinner. Gregor was made to believe that his family was unable to work and that they were counting on him for support. Gregor in his new cockroach body is unable to communicate with his family, however he is able to hear and understand them. Apparently his family deceived him; his father has been saving money without Gregor's knowledge and he soon gets a job as a security guard. His mother and sister also find work as a seamstress and shop assistant respectively. This is a great shock to Gregor because... middle of paper... they have filled their boots, while I am left to starve!" (Kafka 1229) As Gregor loses contact with his family, he begins to lose himself too and this becomes the beginning of the end for Gregor. The family abandons Gregor emotionally and almost completely physically and, with nothing to look forward to, Gregor just gives up "...he didn't feel like worrying about the family, but he was filled with anger at how they had him neglected..." (Kafka 1227) In the end the giant cockroach dies and is eliminated, but not by his family, but by the cleaning lady who was fascinated and disgusted by him. His life was extinguished due to lack of faith and faith in Gregor's true form and as relief flooded the apartment the parents turned their eyes to the daughter they intended to marry so they could care for them in their old age Works Cited Franz Kafka The Metamorphosis
tags