Samsa Family's Metamorphosis Analytical Essay

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The third and final section illustrates the final stages of the Samsa family’s metamorphosis. Immediately following the apple incident, the family becomes more patient and dutiful toward Gregor. Although only for a brief period, they permit him to share in the evening gatherings from a distance, at which time he observes their exhaustion, misery, and expressed concerned regarding their financial impoverishment. Soon the family concludes that Gregor is an obstacle and hindrance to their being able to move on both literally and emotionally. It is this ultimate detachment from Gregor that completes their metamorphosis. Again, this detachment is most evident in Grete. From section one to section three, Grete has undergone a metamorphosis from a…show more content…
Grete dehumanizes her brother and makes it possible to do treat him inhumanely. Near the end of the story, Grete’s dehumanization is expressed to her parents through the following excerpt: My dear parents...things can’t go on like this...I won’t utter my brother’s name in the presence of this creature, and so all I say is: we must try to get rid of it. He must go...that’s the only solution, Father. You must try to get rid of the idea that this is Gregor... If this were Gregor, he would have realized long ago that human beings can’t live with such a creature, and he’d have gone away of his own accord (Kafka 2779). When Grete insists to her parents that Gregor is not Gregor, but an it, the family agrees. Through their change in attitude, Kafka captures the tendency in people to avoid, judge, or even retaliate against human behavior that disgusts them. The family’s metamorphosis is evident in their perception and dehumanization of…show more content…
Upon the acknowledgement of the monstrous vermin’s death, the family does not express remorse but simply relief. In the essay, Realism and Unrealism: Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Norman Hollan claims, “Gregor’s sacrifice is a traditional analogue to Christ’s” (148). Although this is not entirely demonstrated, it is after Gregor’s death that the family experiences a total rebirth and beings to live a full and blissful life, as was the case of the Christian church after the death of Christ. The final stage of the family’s metamorphosis is now complete through Gregor’s death. The family is reestablished under the father’s dominance. This

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