Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Sympathy for Gregor


I just finished reading The Metamorphosis and I am not quite sure how I feel about it. I actually really enjoyed reading it, but I feel very bad for the main character, Gregor. Especially at the end, his whole family just gives up on him and wants to kick him out of the house because he has turned into a bug and they see his as disgusting. Throughout the story, the father doesn't really care about him. The mother and Grete do care about him but as it gets to the end they all don't like him anymore and they wish he would leave. Gregor ends up hearing all of their discussions and ends up hating himself for causing their "suffering." I just feel so bad for Gregor. What do y'all think? 


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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I feel very bad for him as well, especially since he selflessly supported the family for so long without complaints. I think the family could have done more to be accepting of his new condition. The family wasn't nearly as bothered by the loss of a son as they were by the burdens of work, which I found to be very selfish. Also, at the end of the story, I think it's clear that the parents are excited by the possibility of marrying their daughter off to someone rich, so that they will no longer have to work. Gregor would have done anything to support his family, and he even felt extreme guilt for the position his metamorphosis put them in which says a lot about his character. It is unfortunate that he had to die feeling like a burden and pest.

March 4, 2020 at 11:41 AM
Lindsey LaForge said...

I have a great deal of sympathy for Gregor. Honestly, I have the most sympathy before he even turns into a bug. Gregor is fully human at this point, but is treated even worse than he is when he is a bug! Gregor is used by his family. He acts as the “parent” of the household by supplying the money. They don’t even appreciate him for bringing in the money; they just think of it as his duty.
However, when he turns into a bug, it seems like the pay a tiny bit more of attention to him due to his condition. At least now, they recognize him which they didn’t before. Gregor’s parents are two greedy people who use their children for their own benefit. The use Gregor for his money and are quick to marry off their daughter.
Here is one thought: did Gregor turn into a bug to try to get attention from his parents? Was he so desperate for a relationship that he thought this was the only way to do so?

March 5, 2020 at 11:18 AM
Bharat Solanky said...

I think Gregor's situation was quite unfortunate and that he did not deserve it given the fact that he worked hours on end to provide for his family when they were in a bad financial state. I felt especially bad for Gregor when his family treated him so poorly. However, I do understand the family's actions. They tried their best to maintain a human-like relationship with Gregor after he became a bug, and after his death, they decided to move on and think positively about the future rather than feel too sad about the situation.

March 7, 2020 at 7:29 PM
Anonymous said...

I wholeheartedly sympathize with Gregor. He worked hard and provided for his family in their time of need, but when Gregor needed them most, they simply let him down. Even Grete, the sister for whom he would do anything eventually came to see him as a monster. The worst thing they did to him was to dehumanize him, for they simply made no effort to communicate with him. In doing this, they essentially permanently seal him within his cockroach body and effectively kill off his last bit of humanity.

March 7, 2020 at 8:07 PM
Anonymous said...

I do feel bad for Gregor, but also I don’t blame his family at all. Put yourself in their shoes. If i opened a door and saw a huge bug in my brother’s room, I wouldn’t think that that bug is my brother. I would assume that my brother has been eaten by this monster. So, I think we feel bad for Gregor only because of the 3rd person point of view. Imagine if the story was told from the family’s perspective. I think we would be sympathetic to them for their loss and how they have to live with this huge insect.

March 7, 2020 at 8:26 PM

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