Gregor and his Condition

I think the reason why Gregor became an insect was to prepare his family for his death. In part I, he is introduced like a hard working young men who takes care of his family. That is a great responsibility for someone who is not the head of the house. Gregor’s transformation is introduced like something that happened from one night to the next morning, which is exactly what happens with some extremely bad illnesses such as cancer; you are fine one day, then you go to the doctor and get the news and most of the time, your life starts to decay with time. I think it’s kind of sad how he feels after his family finds out of his transformation, “That morning, when the doors had been locked, everybody had wanted to come in; but now that he had opened one door, and the rest had clearly been opened during the day, nobody came, and the keys were on the other side.” (Kafka 2010). Also in part I, women are portrayed as weak creatures that sob and cry as they found out about Gregor’s condition. A good example is when Gregor’s parent’s see him for the first time, his mother reaction was: “The mother, who, despite the office manager’s presence, stood there with her hair still undone and bristling, first gaped at the father, clasping her hands, then look two steps toward Gregor and collapsed, her petticoats flouncing out all around her and her face sinking quite undetectably into her breasts.”(Kafka 2006). Whereas his father reaction was, “The father clenched his fist, glaring at Gregor as if trying to shove him back into his room, then peered unsteadily around the parlor before covering his eyes with his hands and weeping so hard that his powerful chest began to quake.” (Kafka 2006). Even though the father still showed some emotion, I think the mother and his sister are portrayed as weak, and during the process of Gregor’s death, they became stronger and independent.