–Do you think that Gregor is more powerful BEFORE or AFTER his metamorphosis? Explain your response.
–How is Gregor’s family transformed in the wake of his metamorphosis?
–At the end of the second section of the story, Gregor’s father pelts him with apples. What do you think this episode is about?
–Gregor emerges from his room one last time when he hears his sister playing her violin for the lodgers. What is the significance of this? What meaning does music hold for Gregor here?
–Ultimately, what do you think Gregor’s metamorphosis means? What does it mean to be transformed into a giant bug?
–Explain your understanding of Gregor’s death. How/why does he ultimately die?
How is Gregor’s family transformed in the wake of his metamorphosis?
It is seen from the beginning of the story how hardworking Gregor truly was not missing a single day of work in his years of employment. His parents, in the beginning of the story, are seen to honestly care for their son by checking up on him when he was locked in his room. They all wanted to come inside his room and check on his well-being, reminding him he’ll be late to work. Upon further progression of the story when Gregor is metamorphized to a roach he’s now vilified because he’s no longer capable of making money for the family. His father now has to work when before he did not. His family but his sister were to scared to now enter his bedroom when before they were truly eager to go inside and check for his well-being. It seemed to me that once Gregor turned into a bug that his family turned their back on him especially the father.
–Do you think that Gregor is more powerful BEFORE or AFTER his metamorphosis? Explain your response.
I would say he is more powerful after the metamorphosis, and I would say that because he is now more feared from his family than how he was before. When people fear you, you hold power and respect in their eyes, because they know you are capable of doing something that makes them scared of you. Becoming a insect that makes his family fear him, erases the fact he used to get taken advantage of before this transformation, as he was working to get rid of his father’s debt. Now that he is a powerful figure, what he used to deal with before is no longer on the table, because of how his family think of him now.
Interesting!
How is Gregor’s family transformed in the wake of his metamorphosis?
Once Gregor turns into a cockroach, his family reacts in different ways. At first, his sister tries her best to provide him with food and makes decisions like trying to move his furniture so he can crawl around freely. She is still scared of how he looks, but she makes an effort to care for him. As time goes on, she still gives him food but Gregor feels more neglected. His mother faints the first and second time she sees Gregor, but she still wants to see him because he’s son. Gregor’s father attacks him on more than one occasion, but eventually stops. He does not make an effort to go into his room. Overall, the entire family has to make changes in order to provide for themselves, since Gregor can no longer do so. They each get jobs and even try to be landlords. As time goes on, they start to question more and more if the creature is actually Gregor, and they view him as a problem.
Gregor emerges from his room one last time when he hears his sister playing her violin for the lodgers. What is the significance of this? What meaning does music hold for Gregor here?
Music represents his last attachment to his sister and to his humanity. Before Gregor turned into a cockroach he did not like music. After he turned into a cockroach it is the only thing that motivates him to leave his room. He begins to fantasize about a life with his sister and wants to send her to music school, an action which gives him hope of turning back into a human again. His memories of his goal and his sister playing the violin is the only connection he has with his sister as she has long since abandoned him.
Gregor emerges from his room one last time when he hears his sister playing her violin for the lodgers. What is the significance of this? What meaning does music hold for Gregor here?
It’s been a long time since Gregor listened to Grete’s music. After Gregor’s metamorphosis, he had been isolated from the family and stayed in his dark room by himself. Gregor struggled in his gradually shifting from human mind to a “buglike” mind, It is his sister’s music that pulled him back to his human mindset again. He wants to live as human, wants to keep the promise of sending his sister to the music school, to support his family once more. Gregor suffers from being a cockroach, that his sister has to entertain people who would not appreciate her music, while Gregor himself could only hide in darkness. Eager consumed Gregor, he decided to fight for one last time to keep his sister around and drive the tenants out. This last appearance in front of the family symbolized Gregor’s last chance of claiming himself as part of the family, to announce his desire of being a human. Unfortunately, the result of this last attempt was a disappointment due to his sister’s reaction. Gregor lost his will of living, this last appearance in the living room thus became the last appearance in front of his family and the last appearance in human society.
Yes, I agree with you that there is a horrible disconnect in this scene between what Gregor is trying to communicate and how his family receives him. That’s what makes it so sad!
–How is Gregor’s family transformed in the wake of his metamorphosis?
Gregor’s family after his metamorphosis completely switched how they viewed and treated him. Before his metamorphosis, they respected him and loved him, and after they all treated him like he was vermin. Even though he was vermin it was still Gregor and if they truly loved him for who he was and not his appearance then they would have cared for him no matter the state his body was in. When Gregor transformed his family just wanted to get rid of him and start fresh. In the end, we see that when Gergor dies it is like a weight lifted off their shoulders, and it even allows his sister to blossom into a beautiful woman.
Do you think that Gregor is more powerful BEFORE or AFTER his metamorphosis? Explain your response.
After Gregor’s metamorphosis, he becomes a more powerful character than he was before because he no longer needs to carry the burden of his family on his shoulders. Thanks to this transformation, it was the first time in years that he had the chance to stay home and rest. His constant anxiousness about his father’s debt and being the breadwinner of his family had made him unconscious of the fact that these duties were not his. He had assumed the role of his father for all these years, and we can even see this when he shares his desired plan for financing his sister’s studies. These are things that he had assumed the role of unconsciously that once he became a cockroach they immediately went away and, in a way, he was free from. By no longer being able to perform his usual duties he had the time to reflect on life and some desires he had of his own. In a way, he became powerful by winning back the rails of his own life and finally letting go of the expectations his family or society might have put on him before his transformation.
Your comment suggests an interesting connection between being powerful and being free. Gregor is freed of responsibility post-metamorphosis, but is he truly free?
How is Gregor’s family transformed in the wake of his metamorphosis?
Before Gregor’s transformation, his family was financially dependent on him. He worked as an salesman to support his mother, father, and sister. His family always treated him with respect and cared for him making sure he was never late to work. They just saw him as an valuable asset for the family so they could live comfortably. After his transformation, his family treated him like garbage like how his father threw apples at him, his mother is scared of him, and his sister was the only one that cared but got tired after a while caring for him. They wanted to get rid of him in which he eventually died in the end and continued living on with their lives.
I agree with you and would also like to add on that due to their dependence on Gregor and his inability to take care of them, the family was forced to take on jobs themselves
Ultimately, what do you think Gregor’s metamorphosis means? What does it mean to be transformed into a giant bug?
In Franz Kafka “Metamorphosis”, Gregor transforms into a giant bug overnight. I think that the meaning of his transformation illustrates the internal conflict within himself. Gregor being the only son, he becomes the main breadwinner in his home. His family counts on him to support them financially, however the struggle of keeping up with work takes a toll on him. To my own understanding I think that this transformation can be interpreted in many different ways, I think that Gregor becoming this cockroach represents everything the bug stands for. Typically when we see a cockroach we become disgusted, how something so small can make us leap for fear, a cockroach typically only appears around trash, so when you think about it the bug comes because of our own doing yet we get upset and angry when it appears. Gregor becoming this cockroach illustrates the magnitude of his own internal tilth, the struggles he faces on a day to day he in turn becomes a manifestation of his own garbage and he is forced to see himself for everything that he has become. For Gregor to have become this cockroach I think that the overall meaning is to represent the disgust within our own lives and how it effects us. Gregor now has to adapt to his new circumstances and has to challenge himself in a new way. The overall change however made his family and work resent him and had lead to his death at the end of the book.
I like the phrase “he…becomes a manifestation of his own garbage!”
–How is Gregor’s family transformed in the wake of his metamorphosis?
After Gregor’s metamorphosis, the family realizes that they can no longer rely on him to provide for them and so find ways to accommodate their lifestyle themselves. Also, the family has trouble adjusting to living with Gregor in his new form. His sister tries to take care of him, but still finds the task disturbing. His parents are both afraid of him and angry and so try to leave him alone and pretend he’s not there. Everyone of the family members ends up taking on some sort of job and so has less time to spend at home with each other. This effects Gregor the most when his sister no longer even has the time or energy to feed him.
–Explain your understanding of Gregor’s death. How/why does he ultimately die?
Gregor’s death was due to his deteriorating form. He was dealing with a lot of mental and physical issues that led him to become a bug. Because he was once human, he wanted to give up because he was not like he was anymore. Gregor was isolated and felt unwanted, in time it takes a toll on an individual.
Ultimately, what do you think Gregor’s metamorphosis means? What does it mean to be transformed into a giant bug?
I think that Gregor’s metamorphosis symbolizes the disconnection between individual and societal expectation. From the reading we can see that Gregor’s family have a high expectation on Gregor to fulfill his duty to provide for his family. His transformation into a giant bug not only explains Gregor’s reaction from societal expectation but it also reflects on Gregor’s struggle that he faces from societal expectation and his desire for avoiding this duty.
Interesting! Are you suggesting that he brings the metamorphosis upon himself?
Do you think that Gregor is more powerful BEFORE or AFTER his metamorphosis? Explain your response.
In my opinion, Gregor is more powerful before his metamorphosis. When thinking about this question I related how powerful someone is to how important someone is. The idea is the more powerful someone is the more someone needs them and if they are gone this would also affect others greatly. Before Gregor’s metamorphosis, he was carrying his whole family on his back. He was important to his family because he supported them. After his metamorphosis, Gregor lost his ability to support his family. He has lost his importance and it does not matter to his family what happens to him.
How is Gregor’s family transformed in the wake of his metamorphosis?
Instead of thinking about to help Gregor after his body changes, his family just start staying away from him and took all his furniture away from his room so he can get used to his new body and his new life.
At the end of the second section of the story, Gregor’s father pelts him with apples. What do you think this episode is about?
When Gregor’s father pelts him apples I think it signaled the shift in attitude toward Gregor. Prior to this, his parents and sister were calm and reliant on Gregor because he was the breadwinner; so when they had to start working themselves to provide, the dynamic changed. The dynamic changed from the family relying on Gregor for financial support to each member of the family picking up a job to provide; with this shift came the loss the title of the man of the house and the respect that comes with being a provider. His father pelting the apples shows that he no longer respects Gregor and represents his growing resentment since turning into a roach.