World Lietature

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The Alteration of Perspective

The ties that bind family are at once the strongest and the most fragile of the relationships that can be forged between human beings Familial ties are primarily determined for a person via birth , not by a person as is generally the case with marriage or adoption . Because of this , the connections that are made often retain an element of permanence but become strained with the ebb and flow of the growing

changing , and reconfiguring of relationships within the family . Franz Kafka explores the role of family and its individual members in his piece The Metamorphosis ' and readers see that the story 's protagonist , Gregor Samsa , is better off as a beetle than he had been as a person because he gains the gift of insight , and he dies peacefully as a final contribution to his family

Having awoken one morning to find himself transformed into a human-sized bug , Gregor Samsa struggles to everyone but himself as was the case thorough much of his human existence . He is in no condition to get out of his bed : not only is he out-of-sorts , but also he is not fully able to operate within his new body . He continues his twisting and turning at the behest of first his mother , then his sister then his father , and finally , the chief clerk ' from his office (Kafka 477-9 . He manages to get out of bed , but only after thrust[ing] out recklessly [ .] and bump[ing] heavily against the lower end of [his] bed ' an action that sent a stinging pain ' through him (478-9

Gregor Samsa is so busy trying to get back on schedule that he seems to ignore his condition . He knows his body is changed , but he has no time to become hysterical over his metamorphosis : he is late for work , and his dedication and responsibility to his job are being questioned Loyally bound to serve the chief ' and hav[ing] to provide for [his] parents and [his] sister ' Gregor struggles to get up ignoring the fact that he will face the day and perhaps the rest of his life as a bug (484

Readers learn quickly that Gregor is the sole earner for the family whose business has failed , and while he is proud of his role of family provider , he is haunted by his role as a traveling salesman it is a position that engenders no respect or trust within the company for which he works . Gregor describes his professional fate as being that of the traveler who is never seen in the office [ . who] can so easily fall victim to gossip and ill luck and unfounded complaints (484-5

Once clear that their son has turned into a bug , the family shuts Gregor into his room , and while his sister initially cares for and feeds him with great patience , the need for each remaining member of the family to work relegates the...