Its not that Gregor doesn't want to work and provide for his family. He is very empathetic, which is the human thing about Gregor. I would argue that, although he is a bug, Gregor is the most human character in the story. The rest of the family, the manager, and the lodgers don't show any empathy, except for grete in some cases. The manager shows no concern for Gregor's life or well being, he just sees him as a broken machine. The lodgers see Gregor and exclaim that everything about their house and family sucked, even though they get above and beyond service. The father sees Gregor as vermin that only stays around for the shred of hope that it might turn back into human.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Non-Conformist Beliefs
Gregor dies in the end. His father kills him, just like he has been hurting him for the past month that Gregor has been alive. Gregor has been shut up in that one room. the only four corners he can exist in. When he attempts to escape, his father pushes him back it, violently, as if he isn't their son anymore. This could be interpreted to be like the way Gregor would only be at work or home, never enjoying comforts, while his parent's debt pushes him in to the 'room' of work. This could be connected to existentialism because existentialists, the way I interpret it, believe in the existence of the individual over the essence of life. The individual can't fit into a generic slot like society and others try to make them. Gregor turning into a bug is showing that, however much he wants to, he can't fit into the mold that his family, his job, and the world wants him to fit in. Gregor is an independent thinker and nothing should hold him down.
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