Kaiser Permanente's The Metamorphosis

There are many classifications on whether a human being is healthy or not. There are also many branches of health, such as physical, mental, and environmental health. Health can be altered by the environment that a person lives within and the people he or she encounters. A person’s well-being can deteriorate not only from disease, but also from abuse and neglect. According to Kaiser Permanente, the definition of health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (Kaiser Permanente, 2011). Based on this definition, Gregor Samsa’s transformation in the novella The Metamorphosis is not healthy due to the neglect that he endures from his family and the changes

His voice is altered into a squeaky, unclear tone from his transformation, which makes it difficult to communicate with his family members of his well-being. Gregor also has less mobility due to his alteration and his injury from his father. He remains inside his bedroom during most of the duration of the story, remaining quarantined in a small space with a few exceptions of leaving his bedroom. Gregor also becomes physically hurt by his father. Due to a misunderstanding, Gregor’s father believes that Gregor had hurt his mother. He comes infuriated and begins throwing red apples at Gregor, which one apple becomes lodged into Gregor’s back and later becomes enflamed. His father does not halt his physical abuse. He later attacks Gregor for escaping his bedroom. Other than the physical abuse that he endures; Gregor begins to eat less and less throughout the course of his transformation. Grete, his younger sister, notices that Gregor has loss an incredible amount of weight and has become notably skinny (Kafka, 1986). The mistreatments that he endures are evident examples of abuse. According to Social Care Institute for Excellence and Oregon.gov, Gregor has experienced clear signs of physical abuse, such as “assault and battery” and “cuts, lacerations, punctures, and wounds.” His condition and well-being could have been improved if another family member, such as his mother, had reported

According to Elder Abuse & Neglect, some signs of emotional abuse that elderly patients undergo from health workers are yelling, ignoring, and isolating. Gregor experienced the same emotional abuse from Grete and his father, such as isolation within Gregor’s bedroom, yelling when he left his bedroom, and ignoring his needs. One notable indicator of elderly abuse is “failure to provide proper health care” (Bratteli 8). This is a distinguished sign of abuse for Gregor. For example, when his father lodged an apple into Gregor’s back, his family members did not attempt to remove it. According to Kakfa’s The Metamorphosis, it is noted that Gregor “suffered it there for more than a month” and that “it remained there as a visible reminder of his injury” (Kafka, 1986). Due to this injury, Gregor had a difficult time moving himself across his bedroom. Such forms of neglect caused his psychological and physical health to diminish, which ultimately lead to his death. Gregor’s health was not as how Kaiser Permanente had defined it, which is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. It is evident that Gregor’s physical health was impaired by his father’s abuse and his disabilities due to his transformation. His mental health diminished over time due his to his sister and those who lived