Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning and discovers that he has been transformed into a loathsome parasite. Perhaps we will never know what started this change, but the simple truth is that Gregor is now an insect and everyone must learn to live and move forward in this taxing situation. In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, the characters who interact with Gregor, including his mother, his father, and his sister Grete, must come to terms with his unfortunate metamorphosis, and each does so by reacting in a unique way. Gregor's family members are constantly tested by this unusual event, and all three are pushed to the breaking point. Gregor Samsa's mother, whose name is never revealed, is a physically and constitutionally weak woman. He cares for Gregor very much, which is first demonstrated by his distress as Gregor does not wake up at his usual time. It is clear that Gregor's mother has the most difficulty dealing with his transformation. He can't bear to lay eyes on Gregor. Although he has difficulty adapting, he does not stop loving his only son. As Gregor's mother and sister begin to move furniture out of his room, his mother pauses to consider whether this is the right course of action. As Sheldon Goldfarb states in his critical essay, "When his mother and sister begin to remove his furniture, his mother's second thoughts push him to resist: he does not want to give up his human past and the possibility of returning to it" (Goldfarb) . On the outside, Gregor's mother reacts with revulsion at the sight of the insect, but on the inside she still cares deeply for her son. Gregor can see it and it gives him new hope.Mr. Samsa, Gregor's father, whose failed business has thrown him into a lifestyle of weakness and desperation, reacts very peculiarly to the metamorphosis. Initially Mr Samsa, after the initial shock, seems to be the least affected by Gregor's state of nausea. It seems that Mr. Samsa feels he must protect the rest of his family from this abomination that lives in his apartment. Unlike his mother and sister, Gregor's father no longer recognizes Gregor as his son. This is made clear when Mr. Samsa attacks Gregor by hitting him with apples; the catalyst that ultimately led to Gregor's death.