Gregor's Mother example essay topic

The Unselfish Gregor Samsa In Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", some might argue that Gregor was a terrible person and his metamorphosis was not real, but only an illustration of the terrible person he had become. However, it can much more strongly be argued that he was an extremely unselfish person and his actions were largely taken for granted by his family. Kafka was emphasizing the common practice of selfless actions being unappreciated through his story of Gregor and his family. One way in which Gregor was unselfish was the fact that he was the reason he and his family were living in such a nice apartment.

Gregor was the one who had a job and supported his family and he did it with a great sense of pride. Because he wanted to give his family the best life he could, he hired a cook and a servant and he was hoping to send his sister, Grete, to the conservatorium to further enhance what he believed to be musical talents. He sacrificed his social life for his work; never making friends or going out at night. His only hobby was worrying, sitting alone in his room. In all of the five years he had worked, he had never once been absent. Always ready to go out on his rounds as early as possible, he never took advantage of time for a break.

By the time he got back, the other employees were still eating breakfast. He even tells us that if it had not been for his parent's debt, he would have quit a long time ago. "If I didn't to curb my tongue because of my parents, I'd have given notice long time ago. I'd have gone up to the director and told him from the bottom of my heart exactly what I thought" (337-338). An interesting element in the story is the lack of panic in Gregor when he realizes what he has turned into.

It appears that all he is worried about is how to get out of bed and get to work before his parents see him. "I must make sure that I'm out of bed before it strikes a quarter past seven. Anyway, by then someone from work will have come to check on me... ". (340) This is not a trait we would see in much of anybody else. Most people would generally freak out and try to figure out how or why when they woke up they had been transformed into a giant insect.

However, in Gregor we only see the need that he has to protect his family from what has happened to him and continue to provide for them. We can also see that Gregor's attempts in providing for his family were widely unappreciated. This is evident in his family's reactions to his predicament. Gregor's mother, who Kafka does not give much insight on, tends to ignore Gregor as if he does not exist even though we see that she is heartbroken by this travesty. His father also, although compassionate, does not want to deal with what has happened. They continue to go about their lives as if nothing is wrong.

"During the first two weeks, his parents couldn't bring themselves to see him... ". (353) His sister, with whom he had been closest to, brought him food every day. .".. he never would have guessed what his sister, in the goodness of her heart, actually did. She brought him a wide range of choices, all spread out on an old newspaper" (349). As the story goes on, his parents become interested in what his sister is doing for him and thank her for her efforts in aiding her brother. His mother even gets to the point in which her maternal instinct takes effect and she wants to see Gregor, who never dares to leave the safety of his room.

Even though Grete and his father try and dissuade her, she demands that she be able to see him. "Let me go to Gregor, he's my unhappy boy! Don't you understand that I have to go to him?" (354). She seems to feel the loss of her son as if he had died, even though he is still alive in his room.

Eventually even Grete turns against her brother and in turn completely turns their father against him. .".. all I have to say is: we " ve got to try to get rid of it. We " ve done everything humanly possible to take care of it and put up with it; I don't think anyone can blame us in the least" (366). Even after his metamorphosis and his realization of what he has become and what he can no longer do, he does not seem to ask for anything. Showing his concern for his family's wellbeing, he hides under the couch so as not to disgust anyone by his unsightly appearance. "Almost unthinkingly, and not without a faint sense of shame, he scurried under the couch. There, although his back was slightly cramped and he could no longer raise his head, he immediately felt very much at home, and his only regret was that his body was too wide to fit under the couch" (348).

It is strange how Gregor seems to not care what he has turned into, he only cares that he is not longer accepted by his once loving family. Gregor had become a burden to them and they had forgotten just how much Gregor had given them. As time went by, his family no longer wished to have him there and they only thought of how it would be without him getting in the way. Grete, who at first tried to help her brother, began to think of ways to get rid of him.

She resented the fact that she now was responsible for supporting her mother and father. Even though Gregor would gladly go back to the way things were, his metamorphosis is a bit of a dark blessing to him in a way. It releases him from all of the pressures of daily life, his family, and at times he seems to enjoy being a bug. At one point he tells us how much he enjoys crawling up and down the walls and ceiling. .".. he fell into the habit of crawling all over the walls and the ceiling. He especially enjoyed hanging from the ceiling; it was completely different from lying on the floor" (354). Throughout the story there is also metamorphosis that is taking place in his home.

He has traded places with the family and is now living the life they had previously enjoyed. His father begins to work along with his sister and his mother must now do the cooking and cleaning because they can no longer afford to hire a maid. Gregor on the other hand does nothing but daydream, crawl, and nap through his days, just like the rest of his family did before his transformation. Although Gregor did aid his family in a critical time of need, they hardly acknowledged this fact after his transformation. They never even tried to understand him. They only longed for the days in which he would return to his old self and be well again.

For the past five years, he provided for his family, and when he needed them, they did not care. After his metamorphosis, they all got jobs, something Gregor thought they were incapable of. After his death, they moved out of the flat, which was too expensive for them, leaving all of their memories, starting anew without him. Gregor maintained his unselfish attitude throughout "The Metamorphosis". His only desire was to help his family and provide a nice life for them. After his metamorphosis however, all that he had done was simply forgotten.

It was as if he never did anything at all. He was largely unappreciated and became nothing more than a burden. Kafka told the story of a man who gave everything to a family that took him for granted. They only cared about him when he became a nuisance and wanted him gone.

Thus is the unselfish life of Gregor Samsa.