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?
It was a pretty sharp turn in stance for Grete. The first thing that comes to mind is that, being seemingly close to Gregor pre-transformation, Grete had a more complete image of Gregor as a human and therefore the dissonance between human Gregor and insect Gregor was the largest for her. Maybe after a while the loss of her brother in recognizable form hit her the hardest.
ReplyDeleteThere was a lot of time in the story that was not narrated, s Grete may have reconsidered her opinion on Gregor in the many unnarrated months. Or, it could be attributed to the dream-like vibe of the story, where things that seem constant through the dream/story can change rapidly and seem reasonable, even if they aren't.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the reasons for the stark shift are subtle, there never is real explanation as to why this happens. I agree with Cedric that it is very dream like, her reactions may not be coherent or follow a trend. Then going off of Vicente, there are different ways to express grief. In the general seven stages, there are steps like anger and bargaining in which you try to find a way out. These would be realistic reactions if she was in fact as close to Gregor as it is portrayed in the book.
ReplyDeleteI interpreted it as Gregor has been nothing but extra work for the others. Grete still stuck by Gregor and took care of him because they were close to one another. When Gregor scared away the boarders, that was the tipping point that caused her to reject Gregor.
ReplyDeleteI think Grete is probably fed up by having to work a job AND take care of Gregor. This is a thing many women are forced to do-- be caregivers while also working. I think that Grete's willingness to get rid for Gregor probably stems from this frustration.
ReplyDeleteI read her statement that "we must get rid of it" not quite as a reversal of the position that Gregor *is* Gregor and her father should recognize that. It's a masterpiece of passive-aggression, saying in the insect's presence that "he couldn't possibly be the Gregor *we* knew, who was so thoughtful, he would have just crawled away and died if he knew that's what we wanted!" If she wants to get Gregor to willingly crawl away and die, playing on his sense of guilt like this would be the ideal way to do it. And note how fully he buys into it: even as he takes his last breath, he thinks back on his family with "devotion and love," no resentment, proud that he's confidently doing the right thing for them.
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