Question # 2
Gregor has emerged from his sleep and wakes up to an actual nightmare. The man who was once and traveling salesman has now become into this disgusting bug. The transformation of course has been very impactful on his own life, but we notice a transformation in his family as well. For starters his his family starts to get jobs. Gregor had been worried about the financial standing of his family, but realizes that they are doing not as bad as he had imagined. His family has become slightly distant from him. It takes time for them to adjust to life as Gregor as a bug. I feel the father never really accepts his son as this new creature. He attacks him on a few occasions leading to injury. His mother I feel wants to help Gregor, but just even seeing him in plain sight leads to her passing out. His sister learns to take care of her brother. She’s the only one who learns to understand him, his tendencies, and his preferences. Overall the family tries to keep life moving as usual with Gregor mostly trapped in his room for the most part. The family grows among themselves not needing reliance on Gregor. When his sister is the one to say we need to get rid of Gregor, this is when we learn they don’t care for him no more. The family learns to live life without Gregor, and the bug only seems to cause problems so getting rid of him is just one less of a large problem.
Question # 7
Gregor finally lays out and dies just as if a normal bug would at some point in it’s life. Gregor didn’t die for no apparent reason. Gregor up to this point had been hungry and pretty under the weather. One man can only stand being a bug for so long. Him and his sister have a pretty close connection. She’s the one who looks after him and accepts him. She moves furniture so he could live life better as a bug. His admiration and connection with is sister is probably what he felt all he had left. After getting caught admiring his sisters music leading to the men wanting to leave, she feels that is the last straw. So once his sister the one he felt really felt close with finally gives up on him, he finally feels there is not much to live for. Days just have become darker and darker for the bug. He possibly feels that he does in fact need to go as he is drawing all these issues with his family was he may only just simply be a burden to them. For the family to grow and be the best not only financially but as human beings, Gregor needed to go so he did.
Shawn, Thanks for these responses. It seems like your response to the first question – especially with your suggestion that the family learns that they can survive without Gregor’s support – leads directly into the second question you’ve responded to – though here you seem to be a little conflicted. Does Gregor die simply because his bug life has reached its end, or does he actively choose death as a reaction to his sister’s comments?