great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

Seeing Gregor’s metamorphosis, the chief clerk was terrified of him, “..only stared back at him with his mouth agape, over his trembling shoulder. All the while Gregor was speaking, he wasn’t still for a moment, but, without taking his eye off Gregor, moved towards the door, but terribly gradually.” His body language of his shoulder trembling and how didn’t stop looking at Gregor the entire time shows that he was afraid of him and probably thought Gregor was going to attack him if he looked away. On the other hand his father’s reaction is the opposite. “His father clenched his fists with a pugnacious expression, as if ready to push Gregor back into his room.” Although he begins crying, his initial reaction was also to see Gregor as a threat, but to fight him instead of to run away, which he later sort of does by trying to scare Gregor back into his room with a cane and by hissing at him. The reactions to Gregor’s death by the maid and his father are much lighter. When the maid realizes Gregor is dead “her eyes went large and round, she gave a half-involuntary whistle” which makes is seem like she was not only happy, but excited, which shows more in the way she immediately went to announce it to the rest of the family. The father also seems happy. “’Ah,’ said Mr Samsa, ‘now we can give thanks to God.’ He crossed himself.” He’s happy but more so relieved because he had seen Gregor after his metamorphosis as only a burden for the rest of the family.