Introduction
“The Metamorphosis” focuses on the life of Gregor Samsa after he finds that he has transformed into a bug. One morning, Gregor wakes up and discovers that he is no longer human but rather, a giant bug. He thinks to himself about what has happened to him but, when looking around is room, everything appears to be normal. This makes him realize that he is a bug and that it was no dream. He tries to get back to sleep by rolling over but he finds this difficult because his back has a different shape now. The convex shape of his back as a giant bug makes him only able to rock from one side to the other.
Gregor now starts to feel tired of his effort in trying to roll over his back and starts to think of how challenging his job is as a travelling salesman. He thinks of how much his current job is demanding and how he wants to leave it and avoid the overbearing employer that he had. He realizes that it is not easy to do that because he works there so that he can pay the debt his parents took. Looking at the alarm clock, Gregor realizes that he has overslept and is late to work. He starts to think of what he can do to get back to work and even though he might be able to catch the train, he does not have a good excuse to give his overbearing boss.
Realizing that he has not got up yet, Gregor’s mother knocks on his door to remind him that he has to be on his way to work. Gregor tries to respond but finds his voice unusual. Gregor’s father and his sister also come to Gregor’s door to urge him to unlock it. Gregor did not want to open the door and he was proud that he had locked it as a precaution, something he had acquired from traveling. With great effort, Gregor manages to swing himself out of bed and he fell onto the carpet. The office manager then comes to Gregor’s home to check on him. Gregor tells them that he will open the door momentarily.
Gregor’s boss warns home that missing work has consequences and hints to him that the results of his recent work have not been satisfactory. Gregor protests and says that he will open the door momentarily. However, his boss and family do not understand what he is saying and thus suspect that Gregor may not be okay. Gregor uses his mouth to open the door. His mother sees him and faints. Gregor then tries to beg his boss to forgive him for his lateness. However, his appearance horrifies his boss and he sees himself out of the apartment. As Gregor tries to catch up with his boss, his father uses a cane and rolled newspaper to drive him back to his room. Gregor gets injured as he squeezes himself back to his room and after he gets in, his father shuts the door. Exhausted, Gregor falls asleep.
As he wakes up, Gregor sees that someone has brought milk and bread. He is excited but soon after, he realizes that while milk was his favorite food, he has no taste for it now. The next day, his sister comes to his room and finds Gregor did not take the milk and bread. She decides to give him rotten food scraps and he appreciates and happily eats these. It becomes a routine where his sister brings him food scraps and cleans up after him. As his sister is cleaning up, Gregor always hides under the couch as he fears that she will be frightened by his appearance. When he is alone in the room, Gregor listens what his family members are talking about and most of the time, they discuss how things have become difficult financially because Gregor is unable to provide for them.
As days pass, Gregor becomes more comfortable with his new body. At times, he climbs the walls and ceiling to amuse himself. His sister discovers this and removes some furniture so that the room can have more space. His sister and his mother start to take the furniture away but Gregor finds this distressing. He tried to rescue a picture on the wall of a woman dressed in fur. As his sister and mother come in to pick other stuff, they see Gregor hanging on the wall and his mother passes out. Grete calls out to him and he runs into the kitchen. Returning from his new job, his father believes that Gregor attacked his mother. He throws apples at him and one apple remains lodged into Gregor’s back. He returns to his room severely injured.
Gregor’s family decide to leave his bedroom door open for some time each evening so that he could see the entire family and listen to their conversation. He sees that his situation has worn down the family. His sister, once caring for him, now started to resent him. The family hires a new maid who tolerates Gregor’s appearance to some extent. She even speaks to him at times. The family also invites three lodgers and this requires excess furniture to be taken to Gregor’s room. This distresses him. By now, Gregor has lost appetite and ceases eating.
One evening, while the lodgers were in the living room, Gregor creeped out to hear his sister playing the violin. The lodgers were initially interested in the performance but seemed to be bored now. As Gregor is transfixed on the performance, the lodgers spot him and they are alarmed. Gregor’s father attempts to push them back into their rooms. However, the lodgers protest and tell Gregor’s father that they will leave without paying rent due to the disgraceful conditions in the apartment.
Conclusion
Gregor was not a burden. His sister tells his parents that they need to get rid of Gregor or their lives will be a mess. Gregor’s father agrees and wishes that he leaves on his own. Gregor understands this and moves back to his bedroom. Due to his deteriorating conditions, Gregor dies. Upon discovering his death, the family is relieved. The father then tells the lodgers to get out of his apartment. He also let go of the cleaning woman who was the one that disposed of Gregor’s body. The family now looked into future prospects considering that they were not all bad as all three of them had employment. They decide to find a smaller and cheaper apartment that is better situated and more practical. The father and mother also think that it is now time to find their daughter a husband.
