What might Gregor's transformation symbolize? Identify two significant quotes that give insight into the possible symbolism. Analyze the significance to plot, character, and/or theme.
It might go to show how dependent his family is on him, and the money that he brings in. So when he turns into a bug, it is like he is no longer useful, simply a pest in the house that they used to be getting something from. For example, his father, who at least used to tolerate him now abuses him and beats him down. "Then his father gave him one really strong liberating push from behind, and he scurried, bleeding severely, far into the interior of his room. The door was slammed shut with the cane, and finally it was quiet." And then his sister, with whom he had a pretty decent relationship with before he turned, almost attempts to maintain that relationship, because maybe she didn't see him as so much a pest. But then eventually the roles turn around and he is depending on her, and so she stops taking as good of care of him as before. "...but he had to wait until the noon meal before his sister returned, and she seemed much less calm than usual."
Gregor's transformation into a bug symbolizes his life. "'My god', he thought, 'what an exhausting job I've chosen! Always on the go, day in and day out...the wretched meals eaten at odd hours...'"Bugs work hard, they struggle their whole lives to work for the good of the whole. Gregor, before his transformation, worked hard as a travelling salesman to work off his father's debt. He used his salary to provide for his parents and his sister. Evidence to this is the fact that Gregor, freshly dealing with his transformation into a bug, is more concerned with his job. "Well, what if he were to call in sick? But that would look embarrassing and suspicious...Apart from a drowsiness...Gregor really felt quite well..."
His transformation could symbolize a new chapter in his families life. Almost as though he became very ill, and could not find treatment. Forcing his family to no longer rely on him, but move and find their own jobs, and move on. After his death, they leave they go for a drive for the first time in months, "the greatest immediate improvement in their situation would quickly come about when they found a new apartment, one that was smaller, cheaper, and in every way easier to maintain than their current one, which Gregor had chosen for them." Another symbol of his transformation could be almost a test to his family. Before the metamorphosis, he provided and loved his family when they did nothing for him, but when the roles were switched they no longer showed this same love. They begin to neglect him, when he never gave up on him, no matter how hard he had to work.
"The Metamorphisis" is even more disconcerting when one analyzes Gregor's condition as that of mental health or alienation, instead of the literal interpretation of Gregor being a bug. Gregor's metamorphosis could be the shift from him being a sturdy and controlled traveling salesman, to the anxious and raw state that he eventually loses himself to. Gregor remains, above all, very cotemplative throughout his metamorphosis and that may be the single uniting factor between his beginning and demise.
Gregor's transformation can perhaps symbolize the physical embodiment of a psychological ailment such as depression or insanity. He physically transformed, thus enabling alienation and neglect, not only from his family, but also from himself, which is also the transformation of the mind. "When he heard his mother's words, Gregor realized that the monotony of family life, combined with the fact that not a soul had addressed a word to him, must have addled his brain in the course of the past two months, for he could not explain to himself in any other way how in all seriousness he could have been anxious to have his room cleared out" The separation from his family for such a long time has taken a serious affect upon Gregor, addling his brain and causing him to no longer think like his rational self, which could he drawn back to those who have a psychological ailment; the alienation of self and family can at times not be noticed and thus furthering the ailment. Those such as depression, a person pulls away from everyone around them, and it usually isn't noticed until it is too far and too late into the ailment to progress. "Tormented by self-reproaches and worry, he began to crawl […] and finally in desperation, as the whole room was beginning to spin, fell down onto the middle of the big table." Gregor seems on the pathway to losing his mind, and the control of his body literally, which could be foreshadowing for the future when he drops dead of neglect.
Gregor's transformation might symbolize how Gregor allowed everyone to walk all over him like he was a bug. His employers used him to do the work they didn't want to do and his parents used him to make money to support the family which they weren't willing to help with at all. "If I didn't have to curb my tongue because of my parents, I'd have given notice long ago." "Earlier this morning the director did suggest to me a possible explanation for your disappearance-I'm referring to the sums of cash that were recently entrusted to you-but I practically swore on my solemn word of honor that this could not be....." These quotes show how the people in his life were not worried about his life as long as he did things to help them with their lives. This is significant to the characters because it describes the personalities of each character and provides some background into how they have lived their lives. It is also significant to the plot because the people in his life somehow contributed to his transformation which is what the story is based around.
I think his transformation is representative of how his family views him, and more broadly how society viewed poor working class people during the time. As soon as he is unable to work and contribute to the family, they treat him as a pest and more of an obligation than a human. His sister says "if he could understand us, he would have left by now" They are blaming him for their troubles in the same way many poor and working class are scapegoated by society. They also being to fell Gregor's room with junk, representing how he is just junk, and only needed out in the open when he can be put to use.
It might go to show how dependent his family is on him, and the money that he brings in. So when he turns into a bug, it is like he is no longer useful, simply a pest in the house that they used to be getting something from. For example, his father, who at least used to tolerate him now abuses him and beats him down. "Then his father gave him one really strong liberating push from behind, and he scurried, bleeding severely, far into the interior of his room. The door was slammed shut with the cane, and finally it was quiet." And then his sister, with whom he had a pretty decent relationship with before he turned, almost attempts to maintain that relationship, because maybe she didn't see him as so much a pest. But then eventually the roles turn around and he is depending on her, and so she stops taking as good of care of him as before. "...but he had to wait until the noon meal
ReplyDeletebefore his sister returned, and she seemed much less calm than usual."
Gregor's transformation into a bug symbolizes his life. "'My god', he thought, 'what an exhausting job I've chosen! Always on the go, day in and day out...the wretched meals eaten at odd hours...'"Bugs work hard, they struggle their whole lives to work for the good of the whole. Gregor, before his transformation, worked hard as a travelling salesman to work off his father's debt. He used his salary to provide for his parents and his sister. Evidence to this is the fact that Gregor, freshly dealing with his transformation into a bug, is more concerned with his job. "Well, what if he were to call in sick? But that would look embarrassing and suspicious...Apart from a drowsiness...Gregor really felt quite well..."
ReplyDeleteHis transformation could symbolize a new chapter in his families life. Almost as though he became very ill, and could not find treatment. Forcing his family to no longer rely on him, but move and find their own jobs, and move on. After his death, they leave they go for a drive for the first time in months, "the greatest immediate improvement in their situation would quickly come about when they found a new apartment, one that was smaller, cheaper, and in every way easier to maintain than their current one, which Gregor had chosen for them." Another symbol of his transformation could be almost a test to his family. Before the metamorphosis, he provided and loved his family when they did nothing for him, but when the roles were switched they no longer showed this same love. They begin to neglect him, when he never gave up on him, no matter how hard he had to work.
ReplyDelete"The Metamorphisis" is even more disconcerting when one analyzes Gregor's condition as that of mental health or alienation, instead of the literal interpretation of Gregor being a bug. Gregor's metamorphosis could be the shift from him being a sturdy and controlled traveling salesman, to the anxious and raw state that he eventually loses himself to. Gregor remains, above all, very cotemplative throughout his metamorphosis and that may be the single uniting factor between his beginning and demise.
ReplyDeleteGregor's transformation can perhaps symbolize the physical embodiment of a psychological ailment such as depression or insanity. He physically transformed, thus enabling alienation and neglect, not only from his family, but also from himself, which is also the transformation of the mind.
ReplyDelete"When he heard his mother's words, Gregor realized that the monotony of family life, combined with the fact that not a soul had addressed a word to him, must have addled his brain in the course of the past two months, for he could not explain to himself in any other way how in all seriousness he could have been anxious to have his room cleared out" The separation from his family for such a long time has taken a serious affect upon Gregor, addling his brain and causing him to no longer think like his rational self, which could he drawn back to those who have a psychological ailment; the alienation of self and family can at times not be noticed and thus furthering the ailment. Those such as depression, a person pulls away from everyone around them, and it usually isn't noticed until it is too far and too late into the ailment to progress.
"Tormented by self-reproaches and worry, he began to crawl […] and finally in desperation, as the whole room was beginning to spin, fell down onto the middle of the big table." Gregor seems on the pathway to losing his mind, and the control of his body literally, which could be foreshadowing for the future when he drops dead of neglect.
Gregor's transformation might symbolize how Gregor allowed everyone to walk all over him like he was a bug. His employers used him to do the work they didn't want to do and his parents used him to make money to support the family which they weren't willing to help with at all. "If I didn't have to curb my tongue because of my parents, I'd have given notice long ago." "Earlier this morning the director did suggest to me a possible explanation for your disappearance-I'm referring to the sums of cash that were recently entrusted to you-but I practically swore on my solemn word of honor that this could not be....." These quotes show how the people in his life were not worried about his life as long as he did things to help them with their lives. This is significant to the characters because it describes the personalities of each character and provides some background into how they have lived their lives. It is also significant to the plot because the people in his life somehow contributed to his transformation which is what the story is based around.
ReplyDeleteI think his transformation is representative of how his family views him, and more broadly how society viewed poor working class people during the time. As soon as he is unable to work and contribute to the family, they treat him as a pest and more of an obligation than a human. His sister says "if he could understand us, he would have left by now" They are blaming him for their troubles in the same way many poor and working class are scapegoated by society. They also being to fell Gregor's room with junk, representing how he is just junk, and only needed out in the open when he can be put to use.
ReplyDelete