Metamorphosis

1
Metamorphosis

• Section I

2
Structure Section I

• 1 Gregor wakes up
• Human and Insect qualities intermingle
• 2 Family members try to talk to him
• Realize he is in there
• 3 Getting out of bed
• Man plans, beetle acts
• 4 Falls out of bed alerting family
• Feels relief that help is on the way
• 5 Gregor opens the door
• Cautious
• 6 Gregor tries to calm manager to save his job
• 7 Family drives Gregor back into his room

3
Gregor Samsa

• Traveling salesman
• The stresses of selling are much greater than
  the work going on at head officeI have to cope
  with the problems of traveling, the worries about
  train connections, irregular food, temporary and
  constantly changing human relationships, which
  never come true from the heart. To hell with it
  all! (1)
• Despises job

4
Gregor Samsa

• Sacrifices his happiness for his family
• Lives with family
• If I didnt hold back for my parents sake, Id
  have quit ages ago. (2)
• Once Ive got together the money to pay off my
  parents debt to him- that should take another
  five or six years (2)

5
Gregor Samsa

• Introvert
• Alienated from society
• The young man has nothing in his head except
  business. Im almost angry that he never goes
  out at night. Right now, hes been in the city
  eight days, but hes been at home every evening.
  He sits here with us at the table and reads the
  newspaper quietly or studies, his travel
  schedules (5)

6
Gregors Transformation

• Insect qualities
• Bodily form
• his armour-hard backhis brown, arched abdomen
  divided up into ridged bow-like sectionsnumerous
  legs, pitifully thinflickered helplessly (1)
• Causes pain just as human flesh
• Change in voice
• It was clearly and unmistakably his earlier
  voice, but in it was intermingled, as if from
  below, an irrepressibly painful squeaking (2)

7
Gregors Transformation

• Retains human thinking abilities
• Constantly thinking about family and his job
• Before it strikes a quarter past seven,
  whatever happens I must be completely out of bed.
  Besides, by then someone from the office will
  arrive to inquire about me (4)

8
Gregors Transformation

• Does not question his transformation
• because he was in danger of losing his
  position, and because then his boss would badger
  his parents once again with the old demands?
  Those were probably unnecessary worries right
  now, Gregor was still here and wasnt thinking at
  all about abandoning his family. (5)

9
Gregors Transformation

• Familys reaction
• Shocked
• Disgusted
• Angry
• At that his mother screamed all over again,
  hurried from the table, and collapsed into the
  arms of his father, who was rushing towards him.
  (9)
• No matter how willing he was to turn his head
  respectfully, his father just stomped all the
  harder with his feetbut he was afraid to make
  his father impatient (9)

10
Metamorphosis

• Complete change in form or structure
• Symbolization
• Gregors personal alienation
• Effect of his monotonous and dead-end job
• Routine of his life
• Problems in family and demands they make on him
• Indicates the power struggle within the family
• Gregor verses his father

11
Metamorphosis

• Humor
• it seemed to Gregor that it might be far more
  reasonable to leave him in peace at the moment,
  instead of disturbing him with crying and
  conversation (5)

12
Metamorphosis

• Indicates how insignificant Gregor really is
• Gregors transformation is not complete
• Still has human worries, thoughts
• He rejects the reality of his situation
• Did he really transform?