One thing which really confuses me about the ending to Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" is Gregor's sister, Grete. Throughout the story, Grete is the only member of Gregor's family who does not abandon him after his transformation. She brings him food, cleans the room, and does all she can to make life easier for him, even going as far as to remove heavy furniture from his room.
For this reason, while I can accept that her job made her too tired to care for Gregor as much as she had previously, it is unexplainable to me why she would be the one to decide that the family must "try and get rid of it" (104). Are Grete and her father mad about being forced to work? Has she just decided it is no longer worth it to even try and take care of Gregor?
What makes it even stranger is that earlier in the story, following the apple-throwing scene, Grete and her mother attempt (and more or less succeed, at least for the time being) to convince Gregor's father that Gregor is, in some way, human and should be treated as such rather than being pelted by apples. Basically, they try to convince Gregor's father to acknowledge the fact that Gregor the insect is still Gregor his son, and that therefore Mr. Samsa should not be trying to hurt him. Yet, by the end of the story, Grete convinces them nonetheless to "get rid of it" by saying that insect Gregor is not the same as human Gregor. Not only does she change her mind about taking care of Gregor, she also uses the exact point she was against earlier as her excuse!
I have thought long and hard about this, trying to figure out what Kafka may have been trying to suggest in writing this character as so seemingly indecisive and hypocritical, but I cannot come up with any good ideas. The best I have been able to think of is that perhaps Kafka is, through his characters, attempting to embody the overall human character: one that constantly changes its mind and is increasingly influenced by outside opinions and its own selfishness.
Does anyone have any better ideas?
