Gregor In The Metamorphosis

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Recommended: The concept of metamorphosis

In many novels, a dynamic character is one who has changed during the duration of the story. However, in the case of The Metamorphosis, the main character, Gregor, reflects on the past heavily, though the past was before the novel begun. As soon as the book begins, the metamorphosis of Gregor had already taken place. He was no longer human, and we had no telling of what the change was like, or why it came to be. The past, in this case, is developed as the story is. That being said, it is obvious that Gregor changes not only physically, but his mindset also changes throughout the story, in comparison to how he behaved in the described past. Unlike much change that is shown in novels, Gregor's change was something he not only had to cope with,
His parents truly didn’t care for him, but looked to him only for his money. They, in a way, alienated Gregor from love, and saw him primarily as a form of income for the family. The cockroach, though it is not directly stated that it is that which he turned into, is known mostly as a pest. To the average American family, cockroaches are disgusting and unclean. A sort of plague, if you will. Gregor, changing from a man to such an insect represents that he is only a plague to his family if he cannot make money for them. This is a huge change, especially for Gregor, being that the majority of his pride revolved around the ability to make the family money. Instead of being a part of the family, he revolts them most of the time, and becomes a drain on them. Grete was the only person who saw Gregor as he truly was, but her love for him slowly fades away. It seems the moment she loses true care for her brother is when she sees him standing on a chair, looking out the window. She is overwhelmed with disgust and sees that he is truly no longer
When he was human, he knew who he was and was proud of it. However, the change left him unable to do the things he was once able to. Being that the families care for him dwindled to nothing, he lost himself in what they thought of him. In a way, he changed outwardly while conforming inwardly. His physical appearance changed, obviously, but because of this, he began to think of himself the way his family thought of him. Now that he was unable to make money, he was essentially useless. A pest. Instead of attempting to argue with his past, he conformed to the thoughts his parents had revolving his existence. Of course he had issue with what had happened to him, but in his mind, as long as he was of no use to his family, there was no point in arguing with what he turned into. His mind completely disconnected from the body he once had. The past haunted him, and he could not thrive with the idea that he was worse than he once

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