Plot Summary: Do not cut/ paste from a website, which is a form of plagiarism. One morning, Gregor Samsa wakes up as a giant bug, and soon realizes he has missed his train and will be late for work. His father, mother, and sister knock at the door and ask about his condition. He assures them he feels fine, but soon his manager arrives at his house, accuses Gregor of being lazy, and upsets the whole family. Eventually, Gregor crawls over to the door and terrifies everyone with his new physique. After chasing him around the room, his father locks him inside his oom, and the whole family learns to change their routines to provide for him.
His sister, Grete, bring him two meals a day, as Gregor adjusts to his new form. To accommodate his crawling tendencies, one day his family decides to move the furniture out of his room; however, Gregor disapproves and perches himself on the furniture so that it might remain. This scares his mother and causes her to pass out, which angers the father, who abuses him by throwing apples at his back, severely injuring him. Gregor’s door is now open at night so he sees the family in their normal environment. A new maid is also hired who constantly speaks to Gregor because he does not scare her, and three new borders start to live in the apartment.
On evening, he hears Grete beautifully playing the violin and comes out of his room to listen, thus frightening the new residents into leaving the apartment without paying rent. So, Grete tells the rest of the family Gregor must leave, which makes Gregor regretful and despairing. He dies the next morning, and after the maid shows the family, they take a vacation in the country. Memorable Quotes- at least 3- more is better Quotations Significance (complete sentences w/ elaboration) “They were emptying out his room; they were taking from him everything he held dear” (Kafka 964). “The music gripped him- was he then an animal?
He felt as if he were being guided to the sustenance he had unknowingly desired. He was determined to press on all the way to his sister, to pull of her skirt and let her know that she could come into his room with her violin. No one knew how to appreciate her playing the way he did… His terrifying shape would finally be of some use to him” (971). Leaning back comfortably in their seats, they discussed their future prospects, and it emerged that these were not all bad on closer inspection, for all three of their position were altogether favorable at present and, most importantly, had great potential for the future” (977).
Mrs. Samsa and Grete begin to move furniture out of Gregor’s room so he has more room to crawl. However, because Gregor does not own many possessions and because he is starting to feel more animalistic, he wants the furniture to remain in his room. He feels as though his last onnection to being normal and human is being severed and will do everything in his power to stop it. The quote shows Gregor’s desperation and ineffective attempts to retain his relationship with humanity through superficial materials that holds great meaning in Gregor’s life because it is all he has.
Gregor’s life after being transformed into a huge bug is unimpressive and quite dreary because for months he remains locked inside his room. One of the only times he shows love and emotions is towards his sister’s violin playing. After feeling so unwanted and useless for so long, he gains back a sense of ope by supporting his sister’s musical talents. However, the positivity vanishes after the boarders and his his presence in the living room and decide he must leave.
So, the quote suggests a sense of peace and belonging, but actually foreshadows Gregor’s quick death and the end of his long-term suffering. recognize After Gregor finally dies, his family feels relaxed, contrasting with the expected emotions from a close family death. This solidifies the strange tone and situation of the plot and suggests that life really does not matter in the grand scheme and events appen randomly and not for a reason.
They do not even mention Gregor’s insect metamorphosis on their ride to the country and instead dwell a new apartment and marriage for Grete. This also reinforces the superficial relationship Gregor had with his family and with others, as they do not seem to care after he is gone. Characters Name Role in the Story Significance Adjectives Gregor Samsa Grete Samsa Father Samsa Mother Samsa Charwoman The Director Chief Clerk The Borders The Maid Main character, Gregor’s sister/ Supporting character Gregor’s Father/ supporting character
Gregor’s Mother/ supporting character Servant of Samsa’s/ supporting character Gregor’s boss/ supporting character Boss’s secretary/ supporting character 18:10 Summary Of Gregor Sam MarquezThree Temporary residents at the Samsa apartment Samsa family’s old maid Working as a travelling salesman to pay off his parent’s debt, he finds himself transformed one morning into a bug; struggles to keep his familial connections and humanity At first she seems worried about and kind towards Gregor, but she soon regrets him and wants to send him away; plays the violin
Acquired debt Gregor must pay off and goes back to work after Gregor turns into a bug. He hurts Gregor severely when shoving him into a room and by throwing an apple at his back Equally horrified and confused by Gregor’s new insect state, and does not know if she can love him as much or at all; protected from the complete reality of the situation Only servant to stay because she is intrigued by Gregor rather than scared; annoys Gregor Gregor describes him as oppressive and mean-spirited; if Gregor calls in sick for the first time in five years, he will be thought of as lazy Arrives at the Samsa residence after Gregor is late to work and wrongly accuses Gregor of stealing money and not completing quality work Scared of Gregor’s appearance, makes Gregor feel more monstrous Pleads with the family to leave after she cannot stand Gregor’s transformation Hardworking, depressed, tortured, distant, isolated Young, musical, initially nurturing, then spiteful Lazy, hostile Fragile, scared, upset, maternal, compliant Curious, inquisitive, elderly, blunt Overwhelming, high and mighty, important Lying, cynical Clean, strict, organized Scared, Squeamish
Setting (complete sentences w/ elaboration) Significance of the opening scene (complete sentences w/ elaboration) The story occurs mostly in the Samsa apartment, under which a busy street runs. Most of the action takes place in Gregor’s room, a central location in between Mrs. and Mr. Samsa’s room and Grete’s room within the city. The position of the room where Gregor feels completely isolated, contrasts with the separation from humanity Gregor feels and his loneliness. The place also embodies the absurdist genre because, despite the bustling and windowed room Gregor is confined to, no one noticed his insect appearance.
The novella begins with Gregor Samsa waking up to discover his new form as a giant bug. This crazy idea surprises and horrifies readers, especially as Gregor realizes his state is not imagined and is actually permanent. He is, in fact, waking up from “anxious dreams,” which mirror his troubled thoughts regarding his current situation. Outside, the weather is raining, which adds to the dismal and depressed tone throughout the piece. However, a good amount of his thoughts seem distant and somewhat unconcerned, as he mostly thinks about work and how he is late for his train, which further highlights the question “Why do we exist? Symbols or Motifs (at least three; complete sentences w/ elaboration) Significance of the ending / closing scene (complete sentences w/ elaboration) The furniture in Gregor’s room symbolizes the sense of humanity he longs to keep hold of.
As more time passes, the reality of his bug state becomes more real and he feels more isolated than before. So, when Grete insists that all the furniture be removed so he had more room to crawl, he strongly resents this decision. Even though he keeps reminding himself that everything is fine, it all “affected him like the greatest of ommotions closing in on him from all sides” (963).
This fear forces Gregor to lie on a picture as an attempt to protect what little possessions he has and to guard his dwindling sense of humanity. However, his efforts prove futile and starts his rapid downfall. The Uniform of Mr. Samsa symbolizes his respectability and new working attitude, as a result of Gregor no longer being able to work and earn money. His improved outfit of a “close-fitting blue uniform with gold buttons… and a high stiff collar” contrasted with his old “tired nightshirt” (965).
Originally, the father could not work and had poor economic outcomes with his business, but now must go out and work and seems more respectable to Gregor. However, as the novella goes one, the uniform becomes dirtier and rumpled and develops into a “badly stained coat (with) oft-polished buttons” (967). The uniform then reveals his declining state throughout the novella and the pressures on the entire family. The metamorphosis of Gregor shows a great change within both his physical and emotional composition.
The entire story is fueled by his transformation because one morning, without question, Gregor “found himself transformed into an enormous insect” (945). As he is trying to become accustomed to his new form, Gregor recognizes changes in diet, ability, and feeling towards his life, which all eventually lead to his passing. Nevertheless, Grete also changes throughout the novel due to Gregor’s dependence on her. At the end of the text, her parents recognize her transformation and remark that she had “blossomed into a pretty and well-developed young woman” (977).
The entire piece characterizes transitions and growth of both individual character and the family, until the story comes full circle and the family is at peace again without Gregor. Gregor Samsa dies without a bang after becoming extremely malnourished and dejected. His quick and uneventful passing highlights the pointlessness of life and death. The incident proves that life goes on after death because the family returns to more normal lifestyles and even ride out to the country for a break. The “warm sunlight” suggests that positivity and relief had come from his death.
They did not take the time to mourn his passing, but instead thought it was “time to look for a good husband for” Grete. Kafka creates uneasy and confusing emotions when the family seemly does not register Gregor’s death, which embodies the absurdist points throughout the novella. Possible Themes-Topics of Discussion (elaborate; write in complete sentences w/ explanations) minimum of 3 The irrationality of life serves as the main focus of the book and is introduced as a theme in the beginning when Gregor “found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect” instead of a human being: an insane, unthinkable transformation (932).
The text never goes into depth about how or why Gregor changes, it simply occurs one morning. This suggests that whatever happens in life is random and reasonless and cannot be changed. Furthermore, Gregor and the family never really question the validity of the metamorphosis and just figure out how to deal with it instead of possibly fixing it. Furthermore, after Gregor dies, the Samsa family shows relief rather than grief, shocking most readers with the light and unremarkable ending.
Rather than reacting like normal people, they dismiss Gregor’s transformation and death easily and end the text with thoughts of a marriage for Grete and a new apartment. This proposes that most of life does not make sense and has no point, a bleak perception of how or why things happen throughout life. Isolation consistently appears throughout the piece, especially when Gregor is locked in his room by his father after his transformation is initially discovered. Only his sister Grete goes into his room at first to feed him and clean, so human contact is unlikely and scarce.
