Introduction
Depression is common in young adults in the modern world because many of them have a lot of pressure from their families to do stuff in a given period. For example, he is getting a job, getting married, supporting the family, or even working for prolonged hours to satisfy their boss or the manager. The metamorphosis can be seen because Gregor spends a lot of time at work and trying to fulfill his father's needs. Due to this, he gets stressed as he explains, ‘what a demanding job… The stresses of trade are much greater than the work going on at the head office’ (Kafka 1). This shows that he is overworked, which stresses him out and finally leads to depression. Family members should help in dealing with depression rather than causing it.
The irony displayed from the metamorphosis is because people expected the family to care about Gregor since he was in a delicate state. Still, they tend to move away, and when he dies, they focus more on themselves and do not seem to be bothered by his death. Gregor took care of his family and focused on settling his dad's debt, which was a burden to him because he focused less on himself and more on his family. This can lead to depression because, as we can see from the metamorphosis, Gregor spends most of his time working and less with family and friends. Here, his mother adds, "I'm almost angry that he never goes out at night" (6). This shows that Gregor does not have time to go out with friends to socialize or have fun because of his demanding job, which makes him stressed out and depressed.
Many things in life can cause depression, for example, abuse, conflict, major life events, serious illnesses, and substance abuse. So people need to observe this so as not to harm another either knowingly or unknowingly. In this case, people should always check each other to make sure the other person is okay, be it a family member or friend. This makes someone feel appreciated, and people are willing to take care of them so they will be open and talk about anything that might affect them. This is usually done to people that they trust and believe they can help them. Family members need to take care of one another, especially when one is facing some challenges. This has to come from either the nuclear or extended family but mostly from the nuclear family since it is the closest one to an individual facing depression. Here, the family needs to take care of him/her and make sure he/she is well every time and not be part of his problems. The family took care of Gregor from the metamorphosis, but they seemed to be nowhere to be found when he needed them most. As the author says, no one paid him any attention anymore, Gregor was totally covered in dirt, but his family was busy playing the violin (34).
In many cases, family members might not support a depressed family; they do not understand depression. This is brought about mostly because of poor communication. For instance, when a depressed person tries to explain themselves, especially men, they are shut down, and some claim they are not man enough. Many people say men are not supposed to cry, so it is hard for them to express their emotions. Due to this, they find it challenging to explain their problems to family members and friends, and when they finally decide to be open, it is always too late. From this metamorphosis, Gregor's friends keep distant from him and his family in that they decide to lock him in a room then his father tells his sister to stop going to his room. The author says Gregor’s father told his mother that she should not clean Gregor’s room then turns to his sister and tells her to stop cleaning the room (31).
Gregor's sister was a caring person and used to care for Gregor a lot until she could even cry when she thought of Gregor losing his job. The author explains how his sister was crying when the manager had visited and wanted to fire Gregor. This changed when Gregor needed him the most because we can see she starts distancing herself from Gregor when he gets worse instead of helping him. She is supposed to be caring for her brother, no matter what. When Gregor is depressed and had lost hope, she was scared of him and could even chase him around instead of helping him fight depression. The author says the sister had grown tired of caring for Gregor (31). This shows how different individuals are treated with some family members when they are facing depression. They care for them initially, but when things worsen, they tend to walk away because they see that nothing is working out, and things are getting from bad to worse. From the metamorphosis, the sister says, 'it must be gotten rid of…how can it be Gregor (37). The sister should stick with what she was doing, which was caring for Gregor; this is important because it can help Gregor's recovery. By doing this, she will advise her parents to get proper medication for her brother. This is what needs to be done by siblings of a depressed person, work as hard as they can to help them fully recover than just sitting there and giving upon them.
Gregor's father cared about him a lot before he was depressed, but he was selfish because he only focused on himself and did not allow Gregor to have his own time or use his money for his development. Some people may say that he only liked Gregor because of his money and help to settle his bills. He is so focused on himself that he cannot see that he is causing his son's depression. Parents should always try their best to communicate with their children, no matter how old they are, and should always work hard to ensure their well-being. This can be done by making sure that their children are comfortable supporting them, and they do not feel like they are being suffocated. Parents should also not be mean to their depressed children because it will make them scared to talk about their problems or even approach their parents. For example, the author says how Gregor's father could not allow anyone to see Gregor, and he supports his daughter’s decision to get rid of his son without having a second thought (36).
On the other hand, Gregor's father should be fully involved in his son's well-being. For instance, he should have talked to him and ask him about his condition or what he is going through to offer some help. It is hard for a depressed person to admit they need help, but if they are convinced well, they can consider it because they will now understand that they are cared for.
Women tend to love their kids, no matter what happens to them. When fighting depression, Gregor needs everyone close to him to support him during these challenging times. His mother steps up but is afraid to face her son. She is willing to do anything for him, but she is afraid to face him such that Gregor had to hide every time she is in his room. This should not be the case because by doing this, one might be scared to open up more because they feel that people are now ashamed of them. Like every other mother, Gregor's mother could lie for him. For instance, she lied that he was very sick so that the manager could not fire him. She tells the manager, 'he is not well, believe me, Mr. Manager' (6). This is to give his son a chance to get ready for work. But he gets depressed and needs her the most; she is not there for him because she only follows what her husband tells. That should not be the case because women need to stand for themselves and do what is right for their kids, even adults. They should always work hard not to cause their depression but to talk to fight depression.
Usually, one should always save some time to spend with his/her family, which increases good relations between both parties. From the metamorphosis, we can see Gregor does not like spending time with his family such that when he is depressed, he is concerned more about getting to work and hides from his family. This shows that their relationship is not that strong, and it is hard for accessible communication to occur. People need to have good relations with their families, which will allow accessible communication. This will help the family understand when one is depressed and try to offer some help. After turning into a bug, Gregor spends a lot of his time hiding from his family and stops eating after some time because he felt his food tastes different. He then holds his picture on the wall to his heart as it represents him. This shows that the family has grown apart, and it was late for change as the family was taking memories from him, which makes the situation worse because his depression worsens, and there is no one to help him but himself. He then gives up with no hope to live and dies the next morning due to self-starvation and depression.
Family members should work together to support each other and not leave the burden to one person, especially when working. This can lead to one being depressed due to the burden they have. Gregor, in this case, is struggling to support his family, which forces him to overwork. In contrast, the other family members have jobs that they can use to support themselves if everyone contributes a certain percentage of their income. They need to consider this before overworking one of them. When one has a significant burden on themselves and is being overworked, it can easily lead to depression. The family needs to avoid being depressed or healing from it instead of causing it as Gregor's family is doing. To avoid this, his family needs to see that he struggles to support them and understand where everyone will contribute to family finances. This will give Gregor an easy time to concentrate on himself, too, which will help avoid depression and save his life.
Due to how the family treated Gregor, he was left feeling empty inside. The author illustrated this when he says that, 'Gregor's body was completely flat and dry' (39). This shows how a family can drain someone until there is nothing left inside. All the pressure causes this a family can impose on someone because they are working or think a person's job is well-paying and can support the family. They do this without considering if the individual needs to develop themselves too. To avoid this, family members should listen more to each other and find out who has challenges, be it financially or emotionally. This will lead to a stable family and healthy lives.
There is one person in every family that a sibling trusts more than the rest, mostly a brother or sister. This is because they choose this person to tell them their secrets and other things that other people will not understand. This person is usually required to keep a secret or be loyal to them. From the metamorphosis, Gregor trusts his sister and expects her to be there for him every time. When she decides to walk away, he feels betrayed and does not see anyone to trust in the family because his best friend has neglected him. Best friends in a family setting need to always take care of each other and be there for one another no matter what. This will help stop depression because one ca talk to the other and know what is going on in his/her life.
Conclusion
From examining The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, I can say that family members can also lead to the depression of an individual. This can be caused when a person is suffocated with a lot of responsibility for his family without giving other family members a chance to contribute. So the responsibility of taking care of the family needs to be discussed among family members, and a conclusion needs to be met. Another thing that needs to be considered within the family is all family members' health and well-being. This is important because it will help to fight or reduce depression.
