examine the presentation of the family in metamorphosis
... reader that Gregor’s father is not actually disabled at all and when in desperate times he is magically healed and able to get a job. It also becomes clear that he has saved some money from his failed business, which he accidentally on purpose forgets to mention to Gregor. The use of the rhetorical interrogative by the third person narrator emphasises the change in Herr Samsa’s behaviour before and after the metamorphosis of his son ‘and yet, and yet, could this be his father still?’ Also the use of the subordinating conjunction ‘and,’ twice in quick succession emphasises the immense difference in Herr Samsa’s behaviour. Ironically even the father’s dishonesty towards Gregor seems to have metamorphosised into a positive trait and even though his father in a sense has betrayed him, Gregor is not mad he is just happy of his family’s survival. The presentation of the family at this point is one of disruption and chaos. The father and son relationship in this novel is very complex. Gregor is the picture perfect presentation of a stereotyped father at the time. He brings income into the house and puts food on the table. As a result of his father’s failure he has adopted the role of man of the house. When his father was weak Gregor became strong, after the change Gregor became weak, but instead of supporting Gregor like Gregor did him, he kills his son. The metamorphosis of Gregor consequently causes an extreme metamorphosis in Gregor’s father, almost as if Gregor has been sub-consciously transferred into his father’s body and the bug actually represents the actions of Gregor’s father in the past ten years. The change in Gregor reflects that unequal family relations lead to a state of dehumanization and this is why Gregor is destined to live in his ‘Cave.’ Herr Samsa’s behaviour towards the ‘vermin’ represents the presentation of an angry jealous man. When Gregor becomes useless to the family, the actions of the father are monstrous. On two separate occasions in the novel the ‘vermin’ is beaten by its loving father. The first is somewhat understandable and can be explained by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory that ‘humans are driven by primitive instincts of sex and aggression.’ Kafka here involves elements of Mary Shelley’s monster from the magnificent novel Frankenstein. The father sees a monster and reacts in an irrational but normal way and a in a way similar to the reaction of people when viewing Shelley’s monster. The second however, portrays the final demise of Gregor’s relationship in the family. Herr Samsa attacks his son with an array of red apples. It is important that the pre-modifier used is ‘red.’ Red is usually associated with love, Christmas and valentines but in this case Kafka defies conventions by associating ‘red’ with flying balls of hatred. The juxtaposing images of love and hatred emphasise two of the key ideas in the Samsa’s family relationship and it seems ironic that the ‘red apple’ symbolising love is the deliverer of death to Gregor. Ironically the destruction of and horrific behaviour towards one family member at this part in the novel brings the rest of the family much closer together. The presentation of Frau and Grete Samsa in the play is an important one. Grete is responsible for leading Frau Samsa into Gregor’s room after his metamorphosis. When Frau Samsa views her son in his new state she faints. Grete immediately adopts an idealised role of a mother, by fetching medicine for her mother to revive her. Again it seems ironic that again actions and consequences of Gregor’s presence are responsible for bringing members of the family closer together. Like Gregor’s relationship with his father, his sister is responsible for playing the lady of the house, and is responsible for choirs like cooking, cleaning and, to begin with, caring for Gregor. Probably the most controversial relationship is that of Gregor and Grete. Gregor is presented as acting like a father figure towards Grete. For example, he plans to pay for her to attend conservatory Music College. He has a sentimental view of her and would do anything to please her. It is clear that his feelings for his sister are stronger than they should be ‘kisses her on the neck.’ Kissing on the neck is usually a passionate act carried out by two people in love and many critics believe that Gregor shows forbidden desires towards his sister. At the beginning of the story Gregor cuts out a picture of a woman and frames it, this is a subtle hint that Gregor has not really got close to a girl before. This indicates that because he hasn’t really been loved before he misinterprets the affections shown to him by his sister for something more intense and sexual. It seems strange that Gregor feels this way after his transformation as Grete is the one whom ‘shuts the door’ on Gregor. Shutting the door is another use of pathetic fallacy by Kafka as the darkness present in Gregor’s room after the door is shut symbolises Gregor’s alienation from the rest of the family. Whilst Gregor is being excluded the light from the living room symbolises not only the increasing closeness displayed between the other family members but the symbol of hope for the family of a new life when Gregor is disposed of. Although Gregor feels closest to his sister in this narrative it is her that ultimately denies him in the final section of the play. The slamming of the door into the darkness a final time symbolises the darkness Gregor is about to face. Usually, the use of a subordinating adverbial clause by the third person narrator gives way to the justification of the families actions, however the words of his sister: ‘we must try and get rid of it,’ emphasised by an imperative sentence form, are to much for Gregor too take and ‘his last faint breath ebbed from his nostrils.’ The ill treatment of the ‘bug’ throughout the play, although controversial, is a good presentation of the family being displayed as normal. The behaviour from...