Sibling Metamorphosis
...e Grete does for him, since she becomes Gregor’s only link to the human world. Gregor’s mother loves him but she cannot bear to see him in his transformed state; she actually faints when she enters Gregor’s room and sees him. Mrs. Samsa tries to protect Gregor from the wrath of his belligerent father but she is too weak to do so. Gregor’s father is hostile and opposing. He has forced Gregor to be the breadwinner for the household even though he has hidden funds with which he could support his family. After Gregor’s change, Mr. Samsa ignores his son for the most part, since he is no longer useful for earning money. Later, Gregor’s father is physically violent toward the metamorphosized Gregor, pushing him through a door in Part I, “...when from behind his father gave him a strong push which was literally a deliverance and he flew far into the room, bleeding freely” (Kafka 20). The only thing that prevents Gregor from further injury is Grete’s intervention and prevention from their abusive father. A change in Grete’s attitude and actions toward Gregor begin to manifest in Part II. She no longer treats Gregor with the same compassion as she once did. More than a month has passed and there still has been no change in Gregor. It seems like Grete is beginning to question if Gregor still retains any of his human characteristics. Can she trust Gregor the bug like she has trusted the Gregor she has known her whole life? In the scene where Gregor struggles over to the window and leans against the panes to look outside, Grete-- beginning to forget that Gregor still may have human feelings and sensitivities-- rudely opens the window to increase the air circulation to rid his room of its horrid odor. Moreover, Grete does not bother to hide her feelings anymore when she sees him. Instead of greeting Gregor with kindness and smiles, she is listless and inconsiderate to his feelings. One day, about a month after Gregor’s metamorphosis, “when there was surely no reason for her to be still startled at his appearance, she came a little earlier than usual and found him gazing out of the window...she jumped back as if in alarm and banged the door shut; a stranger might well have thought he had been lying in wait for her there meaning to bite her” (Kafka 30). In contrast to her increasing insensitivity is Gregor’s selflessness and love for her. In a marvelous display of feeling and compassion for his sister and her feelings, he labors for four hours to cover himself with a sheet and scurry under the couch to hide himself from her sight, therefore saving her the disgust of looking at him. As Grete’s behavior begins to change, Gregor becomes more lonely and isolated. At the end of Part II, Gregor’s father has also undergone a change; initially weak and enfeebled, the father is now “standing there in fine shape; dressed in a smart blue uniform with gold buttons, such as bank messengers wear; his strong double chin bulged over the stiff high collar of his jacket...his onetime tangled white hair had become combed flat on either side of a shining and carefully exact parting” (Kafka 38). His father is no longer dependent on Gregor since he has gotten a job. Since he no longer needs Gregor for money, Mr. Samsa uses Gregor for target practice instead. In a fit of rage, his father begins to pelt Gregor with small red apples and one of them pierces his back. One apple remains in Gregor’s back and the chronic pain torments Gregor daily while his hopes begin to atrophy. The episode in which Grete plays the violin for the lodgers is the climax of Grete’s metamorphosis and Gregor’s demise. The lodgers are extremely interested in hearing her play violin while enjoying dinner. She begins to play and Gregor finds himself drawn to the music. “He felt as if the way were opening before him to the unknown nourishment he craved… He felt hardly any surprise at his growing lack of consideration of others” (Kafka 48). Gregor completely forgets about his desire to conceal himself from the lodgers and begins a dangerous trek towards the living room: “And in spite of his condition, no shame deterred him from advancing a little over the spotless floor of the living room” (Kafka 49). Initially, nobody spies him; but soon, one of the lodgers sees him and is disgusted. He announces to Grete and her mother that he can no longer live there due to the disgusting conditions. The family becomes infuriated with Gregor, not able to see that this vermin was once their own kin. Grete’s betrayal of her brother is final and absolute. Grete, in the violin scene, reaches the plateau of her metamorphosis and turns against Gregor. While she tries to salvage the situation by hastily making the lodgers’ beds, the violin clangs to the floor, as Gregor watches in shock. After the episode, Grete finally dissociates the name and personality of her brother from the insect that has taken ...