Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis Essay

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To be human does not mean to be a physical part of the human race. In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, the characters showed many examples of human and inhuman characteristics. The Metamorphosis features travelling salesman Gregor Samsa and his family, and explores how they dealt with Gregor’s sudden transformation into a bug. His father seems least affected by the transformation. On the contrary, Gregor’s sister Grete and his mother, Mrs. Samsa, show a lot of compassion with how they deal with this abrupt change in their lives. The character development of each character is shown through their acts of compassion. According to The Metamorphosis, to be human means to care for others, or to have compassion, as seen through Gregor, Grete, and Mrs. Samsa over the course of the novella.
Gregor Samsa showed how much he cared about his family in several ways. Working as a travelling salesman, Gregor is trying to pay off his parent’s debt to his boss. In part I Gregor says, “...once I’ve got the money together to pay off my parent’s debt to him - another five or six years I suppose” (Kafka 2). This shows that not only is he working to pay off the debt so his parents do not have to, he is also doing a job he does not enjoy. He also says he wants to send Grete to music school. This shows that he would be willing to spend a lot
Samsa throughout The Metamorphosis. Before he turned into a bug, Gregor showed numerous caring qualities, and he worked to pay off his debt and earn money for his family. He even did his best to make their lives easier when he turned into a bug. Grete took on most of the responsibility of caring for her family and also was very compassionate towards Gregor, and Mrs Samsa did her best, despite her fragile state, to continue to support her family and Gregor. To be human means that caring for others will always be an instinct, no matter what the circumstances

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