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Theme Of Betrayal In The Metamorphosis

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Betrayal is the breaking of trust which produces conflict within a relationship. In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka the protagonist Gregor Samsa awakens one morning to find out that he has experienced a physical change into a human sized bug overnight. When Gregor’s family first sees him in this state they display mixed emotions; however, throughout the book, Gregor’s family members, one by one, give up on him due to the fact that his life has turned upside down. There is evidence that the family could have provided assistance to Gregor; a hospital was directly across the street, but they did not want to risk ruining their reputation or having their son killed. In each part of the novel, a new character betrays Gregor, beginning with Gregor’s father, followed by his mother, and finally his sister, Grete. Two forms of betrayal in the novel include Gregor’s family members betraying him when he needs them the most and Grete surrendering her personal values. The first family member to betray Gregor is his father. The fact that Mr. Samsa is unnamed shows that his character is not as significant in the story; his only purpose is acting as the catalyst of Gregor’s mental and physical decline. From the moment Gregor’s father lays eyes on him in in part one, Mr. Samsa displays no belief that this bug could be his son. Mr. Samsa is not fond of Gregor before his transformation; he only uses Gregor as a source of income. Thus, the physical change brought about in Gregor only

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