Kafka's "The Metamorphosis"

Metamorphosis - a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism-a complete change of form, structure, or substance-a form resulting from any such change

I believe that Gregor's metamorphosis was literal in Kafka's story. It seems that there is really no metaphorical comparison that could explain why Gregor would suddenly turn into a bug. Aspects of his life seem the same before and after, such as his constant worry about supporting his family. Although after his metamorphosis he is no longer to support his family (obviously, because he is a beetle), he still constantly worries about them while hidden away in his room because he knows his parents are too old and his sister too young. Eventually they do get to working, so maybe his metamorphosis into something less useful helped the rest of his family get on track and become more productive in order to take care of themselves, thus suggesting that the family is the unit going through the metamorphosis.

Kafka's references to hunger and food seem significant because food is what continues to link Gregor to his human life. In the beginning of the story, his sister continues to place foods in his room that he liked in his human form, suggesting that she still believes that the old human Gregor is somewhere within this newly transformed bug. As the story goes on, his appetite changes, forcing him to seem more and more like a bug and less like a human. Another aspect of food in the story is when Gregor's father throws apples at him. This image of food is physically driving him away from his human life and further into his hole as a bug.

GROUP DISCUSSION
1. Characterize:
         - Maid - nasty but still checked on Gregor daily
         - Sister (Grete) - dynamic "butterfly" - metamorphosed from a caring sister into a self dependent
                                   woman, who denied the existence of the brother she had cared for so much
         - Gregor - traveling salesman/workaholic yet unhappy with his life; values his work and his family
2. Gregor's Transformation - NEW PERSPECTIVE
         - Completely changed from a life of being depended on where he was the one with value and
           control to a bug who is pretty much completely helpless
         - Always an outsider to his family (maybe this is why he isn't as shocked by his transformation) but
           now he is a literal manifestation of how much of an outcast he is
         - Eventually begins to shrink, physically (undernourished) and mentally, as his self worth towards
           his family diminishes completely now that he no longer brings home any money
         - Treated less and less like human → begins to give up being a human and therefore loses his human
            qualities, making it less apparent he is still Gregor (which is sister eventually denies)
3. Theme = power and control struggle
         - Especially between Grete and Gregor, as she gains more control he loses his control
         - As she rises, he falls
         - Strength and reactions to serious change, survival?
4. Parasitic Relationships
         - First, the family feeds off of Gregor and his income in order to survive but once Gregor actually
           becomes a parasite, he must rely off of his family like they have done to him
         - Then, after Gregor's death, the parents continue to be parasitic towards the daughter, deciding
            they must now build her up and set her up so they are in fact setting up their futures depending
            on her
5. Metaphor about people and human nature?
         - Possibly about the relationships between ugliness and humanity

**What does it mean to be human?
         - Was Gregor ever connected to the human world?
                  - Although he did make some contributions to the world, he never was truly an "alive" person
                  - He was thoughtful about his actions

Gregor was truly imprisoned in his life, both before and after the metamorphosis. As a human, he was trapped in his constant routine where he supported his entire family. Once he transformed, he became trapped not only in the body of a parasite but in the role as one.