31 strongly attracted to him and with his eyes watering with satisfaction he eats one
after the other the cheese, the vegetables and the sauce. “Am I now going to be less sensitive?” he thought, already sucking
greedily on the cheese, which had strongly attracted him right away, more than all the other foods. Quickly and with eyes watering with satisfaction,
he ate one after the other the cheese, the vegetables, and the sauce. The fresh food, by contrast, did not taste good to him p. 35.
The other change is that he becomes usual with creeping on the wall and crawling about all over the place. This action is done to follow the changing of his body
and to make him more comfortable with his new appearance. Even though Gregor has tried his best to adapt his new body, he cannot
deny that his ability to live as a human being decreases slowly. He still lives because of the spirit from his soul but it will not stay longer because this physical
change causes too much pain for him.
4. 2.1.2. A tragic change in life of a misfortunate person; from a hero to a loser
The second literal meaning that can be seen in the surface of the story is a tragic change of life of a misfortune human being named Gregor Samsa, who is in
the beginning called a hero then becomes a loser for others. Gregor who is breadwinner of the family in the beginning then becomes a loser at the end.
Before his transformation, Gregor is a strong and obedient son. He works very hard as a travelling salesman for his family to live. He is outside the office
almost the entire year and day in day out on the road to sell the product. He has to
32 get a trip that makes him exhausted. In his work he has to cope with all problems
but he did it well although all of these have never come from the heart. But after his transformation, everything changes drastically. With this
change emerges the confusion of his family. Their acceptance is hardly compassionate. His mother rarely goes into his room. His father tries to ignore the
whole situation, and his sister can barely stand to look at him. For several months, the family lives with this vermin bug that they believed to be Gregor because they
feel obligated to take care of him. Their obligation turned into resentment, and their resentment turned into indifference.
The action of his mother and sister moving out the furniture from his room makes him despair.
They were cleaning out his room, taking away from him everything he cherished; they had already dragged out the chest of drawers in which the
fretsaw and other tools were kept, and they were now loosening the writing desk which was fixed tight to the floor…At that moment he really
did not have anymore time to check the good intentions of the two women, whose existence he had in any case almost forgotten, because in their
exhaustion they were working really silently, and the heavy stumbling of their feet was the only sound to be heard p. 49.
Moreover, the biggest action which hurt him the most is the attack from his father who throws an apple at his back. “The father was throwing apple after apple and
one drove into Gregor’s back really hard.” p. 54. The action to throw apples creates a serious wound in Gregor’s back and makes him suffer for over a month.
Finally, this condition alienates Gregor from his humanity and his circumstances. The situation in the house is quite different from before and the
refusal of the family causes his death. He dies tragically because they treat him as an animal not as a family member.
33
4. 2.1.3. The change of a family’s respect to its member when facing a difficult situation
The last, The Metamorphosis means a change of Gregor’s family members in facing a difficult situation in their life. Before Gregor’s transformation, the
family depends on Gregor’s work. So, when he is sick and cannot work again, the family recognizes him as a useless man.
In his new state, Gregor is particularly vulnerable to his family member’s abuses. The climax of Gregor’s suffering is when his father chases him around the
room and then throws apples at him and one of the apples sinks into his back, causing him such paint that he cannot move p. 72. Gregor remains undeterred.
Though wounded, he repeatedly attempts to connect with his family, and he remains capable of being moved by beauty and human expression. He cannot hate
them. “He remembered his family with deep feeling of love.”p. 72. Their inability to adapt to the changes that have occurred signal a total
breakdown in the family structure, and offer a cautionary tale about the fragility of justice and mercy. But life must go on and the family has to keep on living.
Before Gregor’s death, the members of the family realize that they have to get rid of the difficult situation and from Gregor who is in agony. They have to build
their new life. His sister says, “My dear parents, things cannot go on any longer in this way. Maybe if
you don’t understand that well, I do. I will not utter my brother’s name in front of this monster, and thus I say only that we must try to get rid of it.
We have tried what is humanly possible to take care of it and to be patient. I believe that no one can criticize us in the slightest.”p. 69.
34 When Gregor’s sister says this, the father in a semi-questioning tone says that he
agrees with her daughter but what if Gregor understood them. While the mother is still incapable of breathing properly, his sister says again, “It has to go. This is the
only way father. You must try to get rid of the idea that it is Gregor.” p. 70. When the cleaning woman tells that Gregor has died, the family
spontaneously gives thank to God. It is of course a disgusting act but they feel free. Free from Gregor who is recognized as a loser and free from their real
misfortune. “In fact that we have believed this for so long, that is truly our misfortune.” p. 70. Finally, after Gregor’s death, Mr. Samsa calls them out and
says, “All right, come here then. Let’s finally get rid of old things. And have a little consideration for me.” p.77. They finish their letter and leave the apartment
together. On their way, they talk about their future prospects and how they have to work. They are free now.
We can see that a house must be a safe place for every member of the family. But in this story, the parents and sister who should accept him
unconditionally and protect him according to the traditional code of family relationships, are those who abuse him the most. They cannot show their love
because of the difficult situation. From this literal meaning, we can see that The Metamorphosis is a change
of physical form, a tragic change in life of a misfortunate man and the change of a family when facing a difficult situation in their life. If we dive into the soul of this
novel, we can find that this novel is not only about physical change or about a misfortunate man. It is also not only about the change of a family but it is about a
35 judgment on someone who fails to gain his individual needs and a expression of
his mental suffering.
4. 2.2. The True Meaning
