Metamorphosis
...zzles his family. As his horrified family grasps the situation at hand and takes the final element of control Gregor possesses, the key to his room, his isolation from the world is completed, metaphorically exemplifying his imprisonment and lack of authority. In addition to isolation by his family, Gregor seeks to isolate himself out of desperation to attain their acceptance, and alienates himself as a final effort to please those around him. Gregor is so anxious to lose his personal relationships with others he reacts by “showing his family every possible consideration” (Kafka 1098). For instance, Gregor hides “under the couch where, although his back was a little crushed and he could not raise his head…he immediately felt more comfortable” (Kafka 1093). Gregor shows a willingness to hide and endure bodily pain, which illustrate Gregor’s mental compulsion to bear every burden possible for his family, as he had previously. Another effort that shows Gregor’s further consideration is dragging the sheet over the couch, a four-hour task, and waiting numerous hours underneath so that Grete will not be distressed by his grotesque state. This substantial period of concealment is made worthwhile by just the slightest human contact from his sister. As a result, Gregor suggests individuals separate themselves in an effort to maintain what they want most by paradoxically removing themselves from what they truly need. . Throughout his cockroach state, Gregor’s isolation mirrors his previous alienation as a human being. For the duration of his life, Gregor has been mistreated and denied his true desires. Because of his place in the family, only son and eldest child, Gregor feels a responsibility to facilitate to his family’s every want and need. As the family’s main provider, Gregor works extensive hours in a job he detests to accommodate the needs of his unthankful family and to compensate for their debts. In this sense Gregor is like a child born into slavery, punished only because of his birth into an ill-fated family. Gregor sees this “sentence” as an admirable sacrifice of himself because of the benefits he provides his family. However, instead of the love and sense of achievement one would expect from providing a steady income and pleasurable lifestyle for their family, Gregor’s monetary support is “received with thanks and given with pleasure, but no special feeling of warmth went with it anymore” (Kafka 1096). Instead of love and this sense of achievement, Gregor receives no gratitude or appreciation for his hard work and financial support, while his sister sleeps mornings away and his father leisurely wastes his afternoons eating breakfast and reading the paper well into the afternoon. His father uses Gregor as a pawn to pass off the responsibility of financially supporting a family and compensating for his previous debt condemning him to a life of hard work, frustration and emptiness. Because of these expectations, Gregor is limited personally and socially, in essence leaving him primarily alone. Gregor recognizes the lack of “rela...