This video describes the overall plot of The Metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa works as a traveling salesman for a company. He works hard all the year round to support his family. When he is able to earn a salary for his family, he was a respected eldest son, praised by his parents and esteemed by his sister. His relationship with his family changed dramatically after they find that he has transformed into a giant bug, which made him incapable to work and contribute to the family. Family’s respect towards him turns into apathy, disgust, and hatred. His father hits him with apples so fiercely that he gets a serious injury. His mother is scared to faint. His sister abhors his ugly and scaring look. His family thinks he is burdensome, and they want to abandon him. Finally, Gregor died alone and painfully in hunger.

I find the part of the video from 2:00 to 2:30 interesting because this part represents the classic plot in the book: “From the fruit bowl on the sideboard his father had filled his pockets, and now, without for the moment taking accurate aim, was throwing apple after apple. These small red apples rolled as if electrified around on the floor and collided with each other. A weakly thrown apple grazed Gregor’s back but skidded off harmlessly. However, another thrown immediately after that one drove into Gregor’s back really hard. Gregor wanted to drag himself off, as if the unexpected and incredible pain would go away if he changed his position”. (The Metamorphosis) After Gregor’s appearance causes his mother to faint, his father fills his pockets with apples and throw them at Gregor. One apple lodges in Gregor’s back and begins to rot, causing the area to become inflamed. Apple represents a symbol witnessing a bloody and violent conflict between him and his family and representing the unconvertable rupture between him and his family.

From a paragraph of text in the book: “Gregor spent his nights and days with hardly any sleep. Sometimes he thought that the next time the door opened he would take over the family arrangements just as he had earlier. In his imagination appeared again, after a long time, his employer and supervisor and the apprentices, the excessively gormless custodian, two or three friends from other businesses, a chambermaid from a hotel in the provinces, a loving fleeting memory, a female cashier”. (The Metamorphosis) We can see that even after the fight between him and his father, and his family’s rejection towards him, he still cares about his family member, and feels guilty about being not able to work to support his family so that his father has to buy breakfast to the petty officials at the bank, his mother sacrifices herself to do the undergarments for strangers, his sister also starts working as a salesgirl. He wants to takes care of and be responsible for his family members, which was in sharp contrast to his family members’ ruthlessness.