One thing that keeps sticking out to me in the Metamorphosis is the idea of the duty and the debt Gregor has to his family. Throughout the first two chapters it has been indicated that Gregor's father lost his job several years before and since then Gregor has been making up the slack for his entire family and paying whatever debt there is between his family and his workplace. He unselfishly takes on this role and asks nothing in return even when he's transformed into a giant beetle and is in obvious need of help. One of his first thoughts upon awakening is whether he'll be able to make it to the train on time to get to work to pay off the debt, and he doesn't even think about how he's going to escape his own predicament. Even when his family is about to witness his horrendous transformation, he considers that they'll think his transformation isn't a big deal and that he can still make the 8:00 train. Later, when it's obvious everyone besides him is repulsed by the sight of him, he tries to catch the manager so that his reputation at the firm is not ruined. All the while, he is not worried about himself.
His unselfishness is depicted in the second chapter as well when he wonders how he can ease the pain of his family and sister in particular, when he is the one that's truly in pain. He ends up covering himself with sheets so that his sister doesn't have to bear the sight of him. He is also infinitely more concerned when his mother collapses upon seeing him, than he is at any time during his own turmoil.
Do you guys think the burden placed on Gregor is too great or unfair, and how differently do you think the family should react to Gregor's transformation?
Great questions, Tim, and a thoughtful post. I'll let others take on your questions, but I will say that I think it's interesting that Gregor's family seems to improve, in some ways, after Gregor's tranfsormation: the dad is reborn as a studly go-getter with a fancy uniform and Grete finds her voice (and her name) within the family. In some ways, it seems as if Gregor's sacrficies were keeping the family from being self-reliant.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem to me that Gregor's burden is unfair. Everyone in his family depends on him, and he never thinks of himself. Whatever debt it is that his parents owe, you would think that everyone would be better off if they played a more active role in paying it off. Obviously his father can still work, so that really wasn't the issue. Gregor doesn't ever think about himself, and even though he loves his family, it's not healthy to forget about your own needs. As to the family's reaction, I think it's quite natural, but at the same time I feel like they should be more active in trying to figure it out and stop treating him like he's just a bug. But I do agree with Kunkle in respect to the family learning to fend for themselves after his transformation.
ReplyDeleteI think it's unfair that Gregor has so many responsibilities in his family. He doesn't seem to mind his role, but I don't think most people would cooperate so much. Like Mr. Kunkle said, it is holding the rest of his family back. I don't think Gregor's family handled his transformation very well. It makes sense that they were repulsed by him because bugs are gross, but they didn't do much to fix the situation. Even though his family might have been trying to help him by feeding him and moving furniture, they should have done something to try to reverse the transformation.
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