After
reading the first two parts of The Metamorphosis something that really struck
me was just how selfless Gregor is. As we can see from his dialogue with his
parents and the chief clerk in the first section, even before his
transformation Gregor’s main priority was to work as a travelling salesman to
support his family even though he hated the job. He defined himself by his job
and was horrified when he woke up as an insect, not because he has literally
been transformed into another body, but because he might miss work.
In
part two, we see what Gregor’s daily life is like as an insect and it has also
has hints of selflessness. When Gregor finds out that his father has been
taking money out of what Gregor has earned to save he isn’t upset that his dad
was taking his earnings but was instead “delighted to hear of this unexpected
thrift and foresight” (Kafka, 85). Additionally, when Gregor’s mother is
considering visiting him, and Gregor obviously misses her, he is more concerned
with the fact that his appearance “might make her ill” (Kafka, 90). More
generally, over this period of weeks we much more commonly see Gregor concern
himself with the fact that his family can’t support themselves without him or
that he is inconveniencing them not worry about the fact that he’s an insect
and has no idea how to regain his old life.
But
does this selflessness have something to do with why Gregor turned into an
insect? Early in this story we learn that Gregor’s boss has a habit of talking
down on his employees which could contribute to a feeling of inferiority. In
addition to this, Gregor thinks that the money he earns to support his family
doesn’t spark “any special warmth of feeling” implying that his family takes all
of his efforts for granted (Kafka, 84). Maybe Gregor got so used to feeling
lowly and overlooked that these feelings (somehow??) provoked his
transformation into an insect.
This is an interesting explanation for Gregor's transformation. I had it in my head that his transformation was caused by external forces, but you are implying that he invoked his own insect-ness as he became increasingly inferior to his family and boss. In this case, it would have been interesting to watch him go through a slow evolution into his bug body as his inferiority continued to overpower his individuality, instead of him waking up one morning completely changed.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! It is really interesting to think that the fact that Gregor turned into an insect, affects his personality and how maybe even his personality beforehand affected his transformation. We can see how Gregor has some selfless tendencies towards his family and work, but maybe this could just be a side-effect of being a bug? That the fact that he is slowly losing his humanity could mean that he is becoming more clueless toward human actions that may not have good intentions.
ReplyDeleteThis is super interesting! I'm definitely a proponent of the idea that Gregor's bug-like actions and bug-like self-image of bug-like treatment all combined to turn him into an actual bug. I think this has a lot to do with his lack of psychological turmoil- having his humanity degraded and being treated like- well, like a bug, doesn't bother him because that's what he's grown accustomed to over the course of his life. His selflessness/submissiveness is what triggers the transformation, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI like this idea! Definitely everyone looks down on Gregor and doesn't appreciate him. Yet Gregor still manages to think that everyone is being super nice to him and he doesn't seem to mind going out of his way to help his family. Occasionally we get glimpses into him maybe being annoyed for moments at his family, but then he immediately turns it around and assumes they're being nice to him. Gregor seems to think that other people appreciate him much more than he does, and maybe him being looked down on so much somehow contributed to him turning into an insect and not some other animal.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really cool idea about how Gregor became an insect. For as long as we've 'known' him, Gregor has been looked down upon and taken for granted by everyone. The responses of his family and his employer to him not going to work immediately also suggest that his relationships with them have always been that way. His lack of distress at being an insect also suggests that his family didn't really treat him with much respect before this story, and I can definitely see where you're coming from. Perhaps his slow loss of his old human tastes and senses is also brought on by his sense of inferiority?
ReplyDeleteThat's a really interesting idea. In our class we talked about how Gregor's actions were bug like. How he focused on a routine that didn't change at all and that he tried to keep it through his transformation at the start. But what you say makes sense. He clearly acts submissive and gets even more so when he turns into a bug and then gets more bug like.
ReplyDeletePersonally, as I read the Metamorphosis, I feel bad for Gregor. He's such a hard working individual for his family. Despite his immense contribution to the family, his family is not even slightly understanding of his issue and proceed to treat him badly. I think even before Gregor turned into a bug, his family would've treated him similarly, perhaps not as severely, but still in an unloving way.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a pretty good idea of why Gregor may have been transformed. We definitely get an insight of Gregor's "bug life" before he was actually transformed, like the towering boss, the abuse of his family towards him (especially the father), and his repeated lifestyle everyday. But I would like to bring up that in class, we talked about how some translations used the word vermin to describe Gregor's transformation. Vermin are creatures that serve no benefit whatsoever to the Earth, so why would Gregor be vermin when his family uses him as their primary support system? Or does he view himself as an insect, while others view him just like vermin?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Gregor always had the drive to work for others. The way that I read it is that he sort of trained himself into this role. However, it is true that typically bugs work for the common good of their colony, bringing back things to contribute to their big friends (think bees). Gregor displays that in bringing back money for the common good of the family as well as dedicating himself to a debt that he had no part of. Like Albert this makes a reader uneasy seeing both sides of. It is sad that he is treated the way he is considering everything that he has done.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your final comment that Gregor's selfless work effort and feeling of inferiority could have caused his transformation into an insect, I think this is plausible. For five years now, he has done nothing for himself, other than cut a small picture out of a magazine to frame. He is a worker just like an insect, and now he has become one. The only problem with this interpretation is that there is no way to support or disprove it. Because the story begins with Gregor all of a sudden being a huge insect, there is nothing prior to this in which we can find evidence for its cause, and Kafka is too ambiguous to deal with such details after the fact. This is the most plausible interpretation, but it is by no means the only one.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that Gregor is such a selfless individual, his selflessness worries me. His family treats him horribly, even though he worked very hard to support them. Despite that, he still has a very optimistic outlook (especially as a bug) that creeps me out. With how his father treats him in the story, I think this suggests that he was forced into this way of thinking even during childhood.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think Gregor's the most selfless character I've ever met. Honestly I pity him because of it- he lives his life entirely for others who don't even appreciate him. On the other hand it is somewhat admirable. Perhaps he turned into a bug because bugs don't really think of themselves so much as they just go by instinct, for the good of the pack. It's definitely interesting to think about how Gregor's selflessness aligns with his transformation. Nice post!
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