The Metamorphosis Citation Exercise

Gregor's family and Gregor's personal identity change dramatically when he becomes a vermin. In the new identity his senses are different: the hospital across the street is now beyond Gregor's range of vision. His abilities change. Shifts in spatial arrangements circumscribe Gregor's movements. His voice is transformed. Some of Gregor's changes are generated from within. Gregor hides himself completely, likes the isloation, and the remove of the furniture from his room. On the other hand, Gregor’s “disappearance” forces his parents and sister out of their own parasitic existence, leading them to a much deeper transformation. At first we can observe his family's social decline, burdened by shame and the expense of looking after their metamorphosed son; they eventually give up, bitter, tired, and angry. Later, Gregor’s parents and sister have themselves metamorphosed: they regain a youthful vigor as they begin to work, take trips to the countryside, and eventually sell the apartment they had shared with Gregor. The family no longer depend upon Gregor for all their needs; they no longer need him at all. The family leaves Gregor completely behind and makes a new life for themselves. Gregor exists only to help in the change of his family. In a sense, the story's focus is not on Gregor, but instead on his family; the change of Gergor's family is the important part. Just like how the story begins with the focus on Gregor's transformation and ends with the family's new life, the focus of the story and the power in the Samsa family shifts gradually from Gregor to the family.