Lessons Learned in The Metamorphosis

detained, soothed, persuaded and finally won over; the whole future of Gregor and his family depended on it! If only his sister had been there! She was intelligent; she had begun to cry while Gregor was still lying quietly on his back       Gregor's mother loved her son.  However, she seemed to partly love him because of the role he played.  Mrs. Samsa was the one who was in a state of panic when Gregor could not come to the door when beckoned.  She seemed to be the only one who toyed with the idea that Gregor may be ill, "Oh dear," cried his mother, in tears, "perhaps he's terribly ill and we're tormenting him."   Mrs. Samsa was the first to explain the Chief that Gregor had no social life outside of his job responsibilities.  As a parent she should have tried to change the circumstances around Gregor's isolation earlier than this particular day.       Grete, Gregor's sister, was his lifeline in his world.  It seemed Gregor knew he had no future but he could provide one for his sister.  He knew she possessed a love for the violin and the planned Christmas surprise was to send Grete away to school so she may follow her dreams.  They had a special bond that I think he cherished.  At least he would then be able to live vicariously through Grete and she could have a free life that he dreamed of.       Once the family realized the extent of Gregor's "condition" the way they handled the situation was in actuality deplorable.  The fact that he was locked away and in a sense forgotten about slowly killed him emotionally.  In the beginning Grete proved to be a devoted sister and friend.  She once again became his lifeline to the outside world.        The Samsa's once again shrieked their parental responsibilities and put the burden of now Gregor on their daughter, as they had their finances on Gregor.  I feel Mr. Samsa viewed Gregor as dead long before his demise.  Gregor became out of sight and out of mind.  Mr. Samsa felt a great deal of shame by his son's condition.  When he was faced with his son's metamorphosis he reacted in a vicious manner, Pitilessly Gregor's father drove him back, hissing and crying "Shoo!" like a savage."  This was the attitude Mr. Samsa had throughout the rest of Gregor's tormented life. He treated Gregor as a creature rather than his son.  I think that if it had been up to him Gregor would have been disposed of long before his actual death.  Mr. Samsa had a purpose for Gregor within the family previous to his condition.  He now had no purpose within the family other than becoming a both a disgrace and burden.  When Gregor finally dies his father says "We can thank God for that!"  This shows his cold and callousness for his son and all his suffering.  Mr. Samsa was more concerned with himself than his forgotten son.       Mrs. Samsa often showed guilt and remorse throughout Gregor's incarceration.  She showed ambition along with Grete when they were trying to make Gregor's "cell" as comfortable as possible for him.  Even though she was trying in one way she showed such neglect and cruelty in other ways.  Mrs. Samsa did not make any attempts to even speak to her son.  She lived in a state of denial thinking he would return to normal, never facing reality.  It was easier for Mrs. Samsa to pretend Gregor no longer existed than to deal with the situation at hand.       Grete, who started out as a devoted sister caring for Gregor, turned on him in the end.  The pressure of having to deal with Gregor on the daily basis was just too much for her to handle.  I think that subconsciously she too felt Gregor would come back to the family as the brother she always knew.  Once Grete knew that Gregor would never be the brother she knew she began to withdraw from her duties of caregiver.  I think this was more difficult for Gregor than the betrayal of his parents.  They had never showed an interest in caring for Gregor from the beginning.  Grete's presence gave him something to look forward to on the day to day basis.  Once Grete turned her back on him Gregor no longer had anything to live for.       The Samsa family structure was dysfunctional long before Gregor became an insect.  I think the torment of his family's rejection was worse than his metamorphosis into an insect.  He learned that all he had worked for was all in vein.  The truth of the matter was that his father was capable of working and supporting his family.  He was abused and neglected by the people he had so long taken care of.  One by one his own loved ones turned their backs on him.  Not at one time did his father, mother, or sister try to communicate his wants and needs just as before Gregor was an insect.  In the end it was not the abuse, or starvation that killed Gregor, it was the lack of love and compassion he so longed for his entire life.        This story teaches us about alienation of the being, both physically and emotionally.  Gregor was selfless until the end of his life.  In the end he finally let go just to spare his family any more agony.  He died still loving his family who treated him with nothing but unjust contempt.  The Metamorphosis teaches us to live your life for yourself first and others next or you too may end up leading a lonely and unhappy existence in this world.