CHARACTER ANALYSIS OF GREGOR IN “THE METAMORPHOSIS”
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Gregor’s role in the Metamorphosis could be interpreted differently by different readers, but one thing that stands out is the need for Gregor to accept everything that happens to him, and his need to keep providing for his family. Gregor works as a traveling salesman, a job he hates, to makes sure that his family is provided for. One day, he is unable to get out of bed as he finds that he has transformed into a large insect. This makes it impossible for Gregor to go into work and has to stay in his room for the better part of the novel. However, the whole time he is in his room he still thinks of ways in which he could help his family.
Gregor’s transformation acted as a revelation to him, as he was able to see how the family that he worked so hard for holding him. His sister, with whom he was very close, volunteered to look after him after the metamorphosis. She cleaned the room and ensured he was fed, much as he worked through a job he hated as a traveling salesman to make sure they were provided for.
The contrast between Gregor’s provision and his sister, Grete’s, provision could not be clearer. While Gregor tirelessly worked to provide for the family, Grete’s zeal was short-lived. She stopped taking good care of Gregor and would even leave his room uncleaned. Gregor, even though incapacitated, continued to look for ways in which he could go to work to make sure that his family was provided for.
Grete went as far as to be disgusted by Gregor’s incapacity to get out of bed. Whenever she went into his room to clean, Grete would make sure that she opened the window to avoid having to throw up. When Gregor was in plain sight, she would avoid him because she was very ashamed of him. Gregor on the other hand had made plans of making sure that Grete achieved her dream of joining the conservatory. While Gregor was willing to make sure that Grete was happy, Grete only cared about how much Gregor disgusted her.
Grete is not the only member of the family that feels disgusted and ashamed of her brother’s transformation. Gregor’s father is far more disgusted. After Gregor changed, his father had to look for work to make sure that the family would not struggle financially. His attitude towards his son changed. He regarded him as a burden to the family, despite Gregor taking care of them before without complaining even though he hated the job he had to do to make sure they were provided for. Gregor’s father attacks Gregor on several occasions, showing the deep disgust he has for him.
After realizing that Gregor would not be able to provide for the family, Grete chooses to become a salesgirl to contribute to the family finances. Gregor on the other hand realizes that he disgusted his family and chooses death rather than live such a life. The novella, is, therefore, more than just a metamorphosis of Gregor, but also the growth of Grete from the little sister to being a daughter that provided for the family. Unlike Gregor, she grew from the changes that were occurring around her. She realized that her family needed her and she chose to provide for them.
Gregor’s choice of death could be interpreted in a multifaceted manner. For some, it could be seen as a form of redemption since he would not have to deal with the family’s lack of appreciation anymore. For others, it could show a deep-rooted identity crisis that he is forced to confront once he became an insect. This is the interpretation this paper chooses to take. It is clear that Gregor does not know how to define himself when he is no longer the provider of the family. He does not really like being the provider but he realizes that he has to. When life gifts him with the opportunity of not being a provider, he is left to define himself through the opinion of his family members, leading to him to his death. This novella makes humans confront their inability to define themselves beyond the opinions and needs of the society, and the emptiness that this way of living carries.