The Metamorphosis

By Kailyn Hayes, Kassandra

Quintanilla, Kamryn Thompson,
and Elizabeth Sprain
Plot Summary
Gregor Samsa is a young traveling salesman who lives a relatively
mediocre lifestyle. He hates his job, but his family depends on him
for financial stability. One day, he awakens to find himself
transformed into a bug. His family suspects that he is ill.

When his family sees him, they are horrified. As time passes,
Grete, Gregors younger sister, becomes his primary caretaker.
Gregors father paralyzes him with an apple after it was assumed
he was harassing his mother.
Plot Summary cont.
The family is forced to take in three boarders in order to bring in
revenue. These boarders are intrigued by Grete playing the violin
and so is Gregor. He steps out into the living room and when the
boarders see him, they are disgusted and leave.

Grete is upset and insists that Gregor must leave. Gregor

overhears this and silently retreats to his room, to die in peace.
The family finds out the next morning and decide to leave their
home.
Thesis/Subject
There are limits to loyalty and love. Kafka clearly depicts that in the
relationship between Gregor and Grete.
Themes
Isolation
Gregors alienation from the outside world

Sympathetic limits within a family

Gregors family's feeling towards Gregor
Themes cont.
Conflict:

Man vs. Man

Man vs. Self
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Society
Motifs
Sleep
The action of sleep or falling asleep is recurring throughout
this whole book

Money
Money is a struggling problem that the family deals with
throughout the story
Character Analysis
Gregor Samsa
Patient in that he accepted his role as the provider in the
family
It takes Gregor a while to realize that he cannot provide for
his family anymore
He isolates himself by hiding in the dark, as an insect would
Comes to the conclusion that his family would be better off
without him
He dies on behalf of his familys best interests
Character Analysis cont.
Grete Samsa
Feels compassion for Gregor throughout the novel
Becomes Gregors caregiver in which she is his only
human contact
Grete develops into a more mature young woman, which
causes her to feel less pity for Gregor
Grete eventually begrudges her role and decides that it
may be time for him to go
Character Analysis cont.
Mr. Samsa
Emerges as helpless and unfriendly
Mr. Samsa seems to not care about Gregors
metamorphosis, but instead their finances
Mr. Samsa barely interacts with Gregor and when he
does, he beats and throws objects at him
We see how estranged Gregor and his father are
Similar to Kafka and his father

How it relates to Humanities
Shows the relationship between humans and how their
mind/imagination works. It is impossible to become a bug, let
alone overnight, but because of Kafkas imagination, this is a
metaphor that Gregor was a pest to his family.

He also shows how the relationship between family isnt always

perfect. He is isolated and neglected from the rest of his family
after he turned into a vermin.
Link to Kahoot
https://play.kahoot.it/#/?quizId=399ec45e-937f-481b-900b-50ad94e56fc3
Works Cited
Humanities, Mr. P, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka- Chapter 2 and
existentialism,
http://ericdpellerin12.blogspot.com/2014/03/due-thursday-march-6th-
metamorphosis-by.html. Accessed 10 Nov, 2016

Nervo, Mauro. (SP:) Franz Kafkas Personal Life Reflected in the

Metamorphosis. The Kafka Project. N.p., 1999-2007.
http://www.kafka.org/index.php?aid=218. Accessed 10 Nov, 2016

Kafka, Franz. Metamorphosis. New York: Vanguard, 1946.