Themes
Isolation:
"He was looking out the window at a barren waste where the grey sky and grey earth mingles inseparately . . . it was clear enough that it was no pleasure for Gregor to cut himself off so completely" (24-25).
Gregor had always been isolated from society to some degree, being that work consumed his life and he was not living the life a young man ought to live. Yet, his transformation into an insect causes Gregor to be completely cut off from the world around him. His only link to the outside world is the window, which he peers out so often. His sister only comes in his room to feed him and clean, but even then Gregor hides from her sight. His parents cannot even bear to see him, responding with terror and violence when he makes the slightest appearance. Gregor spends the remainder of his life imprisoned in his room. His complete isolation from society causes Gregor to lose all hope, and eventually die.
Identity:
"How can that be Gregor? If it were Gregor he would have seen so long ago that it's not possible for human beings to live with an animal like that and he would have gone of his own free will" (40).
Gregor loses his identity, in the eyes of society, once he turns into a bug. Though readers can hear his thoughts, his family cannot understand him nor believe that he can understand them. They do not recognize him as Gregor but as a vermin which they both live in fear of and hold deep resentment towards. Gregor is human internally but an animal externally, which causes him to have trouble defining who he is. Prior to his transformation, Gregor had been defined by his diligent work abilities and his nobility of providing for his family. But when he becomes a bug, Gregor is merely defined by his physical appearance, becoming worthless and disgusting to society.
Family:
"(Gregor) gazing into the darkness, felt a great pride that he was able to provide a life like that in such a mice home for his sister and parents. But for now, if all this peace and wealth and comfort should come to a horrible and frightening end? That was something that Gregor did not want to think about too much, so he started to move about, crawling up and down the room" (19).
The structure of Gregor's family is quite odd, with Gregor, the son, being the sole breadwinner of the family while his father spends the day relaxing with his wife and daughter. Gregor's family depends on him, and as seen when he becomes a bug, alleviating the financial burden is their only use for him. When Gregor transforms he becomes the one in need, causing the three remaining members of the family to find work to finance their lifestyles. The novella also experiments with family structure in the way that Gregor's family so easily abandons him when he becomes a burden to them. Families are supposed to love each other unconditionally, which Gregor had demonstrated through working for fifteen years despite his desire for freedom. Yet his family did not reciprocate this love, neglecting him and even letting him die.
"He was looking out the window at a barren waste where the grey sky and grey earth mingles inseparately . . . it was clear enough that it was no pleasure for Gregor to cut himself off so completely" (24-25).
Gregor had always been isolated from society to some degree, being that work consumed his life and he was not living the life a young man ought to live. Yet, his transformation into an insect causes Gregor to be completely cut off from the world around him. His only link to the outside world is the window, which he peers out so often. His sister only comes in his room to feed him and clean, but even then Gregor hides from her sight. His parents cannot even bear to see him, responding with terror and violence when he makes the slightest appearance. Gregor spends the remainder of his life imprisoned in his room. His complete isolation from society causes Gregor to lose all hope, and eventually die.
Identity:
"How can that be Gregor? If it were Gregor he would have seen so long ago that it's not possible for human beings to live with an animal like that and he would have gone of his own free will" (40).
Gregor loses his identity, in the eyes of society, once he turns into a bug. Though readers can hear his thoughts, his family cannot understand him nor believe that he can understand them. They do not recognize him as Gregor but as a vermin which they both live in fear of and hold deep resentment towards. Gregor is human internally but an animal externally, which causes him to have trouble defining who he is. Prior to his transformation, Gregor had been defined by his diligent work abilities and his nobility of providing for his family. But when he becomes a bug, Gregor is merely defined by his physical appearance, becoming worthless and disgusting to society.
Family:
"(Gregor) gazing into the darkness, felt a great pride that he was able to provide a life like that in such a mice home for his sister and parents. But for now, if all this peace and wealth and comfort should come to a horrible and frightening end? That was something that Gregor did not want to think about too much, so he started to move about, crawling up and down the room" (19).
The structure of Gregor's family is quite odd, with Gregor, the son, being the sole breadwinner of the family while his father spends the day relaxing with his wife and daughter. Gregor's family depends on him, and as seen when he becomes a bug, alleviating the financial burden is their only use for him. When Gregor transforms he becomes the one in need, causing the three remaining members of the family to find work to finance their lifestyles. The novella also experiments with family structure in the way that Gregor's family so easily abandons him when he becomes a burden to them. Families are supposed to love each other unconditionally, which Gregor had demonstrated through working for fifteen years despite his desire for freedom. Yet his family did not reciprocate this love, neglecting him and even letting him die.