I have the most sympathy for Grete. Besides Gregor, she’s the only character that is called by name (Unless I missed something) which allows you to relate towards her. There also are multiple instances within the story that reveal the sadness that she's feeling. The main reason of which I want to base this on is because Franz says that she is sobbing for Gregor. [P. 1116] She’s also the only person who seems to truly care, as she takes care of gregor for the beginning of the middle part of the story. [P. 1122] I don’t feel this sympathy for Gregor, as over the course of the story he doesn’t change at all emotionally. He came out the same way he went in, and the change doesn’t leave an impact. It almost seems like that when he died, you were
With this in mind, Gregor, being an allegory for Kafka, portrays his feelings towards his family and his involvement with them. He portrays most of his feelings through his sister, and father, who are mainly static characters
This quote from Gregor’s sister, Grete, is emotionally wrenching because from Gregor’s point of view, the only person who has been kind in taking care of him is now pleading with their father to cast him out leaving him dejectedly alone, with no one left on his side. The author’s wording including “crying” as if Grete is desperate to be rid of Gregor. Grete’s language, which dehumanizes Gregor by referring to him with the pronoun “it” and calling him an “animal” and a “plague”, is incredibly degrading which led me to sympathize with Gregor for being so alone that his one friend is so
He supported his mother, father and Grete. Now that he cannot work, his family is desperate for money. The father decides to go back to work to bring home money. To make some more money on the side, they rent their apartment out to three lodgers. One night while the lodgers were there, Gregor was seen, which made the lodgers freak out and leave. This marks a turning point in how Grete feels about Gregor. She comes to realize that he has no humanity left. The reader sees this when Grete explains to her father, “It has to go,’ cried his sister. ‘That’s the only answer, Father. You just have to try to get rid of the idea that it’s Gregor. Believing it for so long, that is our real misfortune” (Kafka 1107). Grete no longer thinks of him as Gregor, but refers to him as “it”, showing that she really has no regards for him. This ultimately adds to the decision that they should get rid of
Grete’s isolation from society stems from her passion and interest for her loved ones. Grete spends all her time at home caring for her family members. Kafka describes her as “perceptive; she had already begun to cry when Gregor was still lying calmly on his back”
This could be due to the realisation of a deep feminine connection with his sister’s struggles or could additionally be a reminder of his precedent self who had been putting away mazuma for the conservatorium. Through this exhibit Grete is once again recuperated to her pristine gendered position, with her growing independence and “masculinity” anon to be stamped out through espousement and wifely submission. For Gregor there is the realisation that he cannot make such and facile metamorphosis to his pristine state. Without gender, Gregor's death accommodates as a sacrifice of his life for his recollection as a male. Through his death he is once again accommodating the wishes of his family and endeavoring to regain some lost masculine
In the first part of the book, Gregor wakes up and has evolved into a huge bug, or so he thinks. Doubting his ability to get out of bed, he looks for answers for the cause, but can not find any. Then, his mom comes to his room and is only concerned at the fact he is late for work and does not ask if he is all right. As said on page 5, by Gregor’s mother, “Gregor—it’s a quarter to seven. Didn’t you want to catch the train?” This is the only thing she asks her son Gregor when he wakes up unusually late. Expectedly Gregor was looking for a careful remark but this shows us that his mom is only concerned about the money Gregor makes instead of his well-being. In accordance, Gregor is starting to feel ashamed of this condition he must deal with, “Just don’t stay in bed being useless” (Kafka, 7). This shows us, Gregor feels useless because he cannot work for his family and help them at all. He made a ginormous effort to get out of his bed to work and yet is family is only worried about him losing his job instead of his well being. As we see, his family doesn’t love him genuinely and do not love Gregor like they should, being his family.
As a young child, he was a lone Jew attending a German school-which no doubt forced him to learn the "value" of conformity from an early age. As for Gregor, his family refuses to associate with him any longer and casually discards him because he is useless and perceived as different; i.e., dangerous. As such, the family finds this nonconformity almost threatening to their existence. A particularly pivotal and heartbreaking moment in Gregor's life occurs when his own beloved sister is asha! med of Gregor: Things cannot go on any longer in this way...I say only that we must try to get rid of it. We have tried what is humanly possible to take care of it and to be patient...I believe that no one can criticize us in the slightest...it is killing you both. I see it coming. When people have to work as hard as we all do, they cannot also tolerate Cheng 4 this endless torment at home. I just can't go on any more...this animal plagues us. It drives away the lodgers, will obviously take over the entire apartment, and leave us to spend the night in the lane. (Kafka) Basically, Grete is willing to kill her own blood relation purely based upon his unusual, repulsive appearance. However, despite the constant threat of extermination, his thoughts remain surprisingly selfless; he "did not have any notion of wishing to create problems for anyone and certainly not for his sister...he felt a great pride that he had been able to provide such a life in a
But, as time goes on his sister Grete, who had been the one to care for him the most, begins to lose faith in his humanness. She says to her parents, "You must just try to get rid of the idea that this is Gregor. The fact that we've believed it for so long is the root of all our trouble." This same idea is reiterated when Gregor finally dies and his mother says, "Well, now thanks be to God." His family was convinced after a short while that it wasn't even their own Gregor underneath that hard exoskeleton.
Grete undergoes a change in perspective to such a degree that by the end of the novella it is she who declares, “we must get rid of it” (84). This change in perspective shows how Kafka believes that members of society often stop sympathizing with the isolated group when it becomes inconvenient for them to continue doing so. Gregor’s mother reacts in an initial manner somewhere between the father and sister since when first seeing him she “went two steps toward Gregor and collapsed right in the middle of her skirts” (23). These conflicting desires continue through the novella, such as when Mr. Samsa tries to kill Gregor, “she begged him to spare Gregor’s life” (65) but at the same time she is repulsed by him. This illustrates how she wants to help him and tries to think of him the same way she did before his transformation, yet is unable to. This resembles the idealists in society who theoretically support the alienated person but often succumb to social pressures when they are forced to face the problem. These three reactions to Gregor’s transformation as a result of the initiation of his isolation by the manager demonstrate the spectrum of reactions. From the immediate acceptance of the hierarchy represented by Mr. Samsa, to the true compassion of Grete and the idealism of Mrs. Samsa, Kafka shows how a wide variety of reactions is expected from society, and how people often change their opinions.
Gregor’s sister, had once he underwent his transformation, took care of him by visiting to help him.But even Gregor’s sister eventually forgot about him and could no longer deal with Gregor in his new transformed state.Gregor’s sister completely forgot about Gregor and went on and underwent her own transformation to help fill the void of income that Gregor’s transformation left behind. Furthermore, when Gregor died his family did not really mourn for him or pay much attention to him but rather had the maid take Gregor’s body out and threw him away like trash. This revealed how little the family cared for Gregor after the transformation as he was no longer able to provide for them now that he had transformed and was no longer accepted into society or the workplace.
Kafka utilizes a new narrative perspective in the last passage of his work to expose the one-sided love between Gregor and the rest of his family. The majority of the story had been told in a free indirect discourse restricted to the mind of Gregor. In this position, Gregor’s humanity —despite his inhuman exterior— and his genuine love for family is revealed. As the only source of income for the family, he works with every fiber in his being to overcome the debt that plagues them, as “He felt great pride at having been able to give his parents and sister a life like this in such a beautiful apartment” (411). This compassion is clearly not reciprocated when the narration shifts to the remaining family following Gregor’s demise. Instead they critique the shelter that Gregor
He was the son, the sole breadwinner of the family. Before Gregor’s transformation Grete really had no place in the family. Now since Gregor was unable to help the family Grete became important, needed and most of all appreciated. “He often heard them expressing their appreciation of his sister’s activities, whereas formerly they had frequently scolded her for being a somewhat useless daughter”(99). Now Grete’s parents need her for something. Grete by making herself responsible for Gregor gains a certain power over her parents. This however in not presented to the reader clearly because Gregor is unable to grasp the fact that his sister might have ulterior motives.
Grete Samsa is Gregor’s sister. Grete immediately feels pity for her brother and wants to help him. This continues until near the end of the story when Grete gets a job and takes over the role as the main provider. It seems at this
Gregor captures the imagination of anyone who has some frustrations in their life. I can relate to Gregor’s wanting to make his life better. My problems are not near to the level of Gregors, but I would enjoy a bit of an escape into a grand adventure. During his adventure, he took care of Boots and made her a priority. I
Grete, like her mother, obviously cares very much for Gregor and is also terrified by his new transformation, but unlike her mother, she tries very hard to hide her fear in order to keep feeding and tending to Gregor’s room;