Grete's Metamorphosis

At first glance, it is seemingly obvious that the title of Kafka's The Metamorphosis refers to the main character of the book, Gregor Samsa. The book starts out by immediately throwing us into this world of "Gregor the insect" with its first sentence, "When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect" (64). From this, the logical conclusion follows that the title of the book is referring to Gregor's transformation, or metamorphosis, into a giant bug. However, reading through the book we can slowly observe significant behavioral changes in not only Gregor but in the members of his family as well. While Gregor does in fact seem to change as the book progresses, as can be observed by his increasingly insect-like thoughts and reactions towards various situations, it seems as though his family undergoes even more drastic changes (setting physical appearance aside, of course), in particular Gregor's sister, Grete.

In the beginning of the book, Grete takes on a very passive, compassionate role, in contrast to Gregor's mother and father. We can observe this contrast in the first scene. Gregor has just woken up and discovered that he is a huge insect. His father, realizing that it is uncharacteristic of Gregor to not to get up for work, starts to question Gregor about whats going on: "'Gregor, Gregor,' he called, 'what's up?' And after a little while he repeated his admonishment in a deeper voice: 'Gregor! Gregor!'" (66). Here we can see the father's impatience and insensitivity to the situation at hand. Although he doesn't yet know Gregor's circumstances, the father still reacts in a frantic and anxious way. He gets angry immediately, as he repeatedly calls Gregor's name in an almost reprimanding tone. In addition, the father doesn't really show any sympathy towards Gregor during this scene. By abruptly assaulting Gregor with his tone and voice, the father doesn't seem to consider or really even care about what is troubling Gregor himself; he simply wants to know why Gregor isn't at work, bringing in money. The sister, however, shows a great deal of sympathy and care towards Gregor in this scene: "Meanwhile from the other side-door came the soft, plaintive voice of his sister: 'Gregor? Aren't you well? Is there anything you want?'" (66). Even with all the hustle and bustle of the scene, what with each member of Gregor's family knocking on a door to his room, Grete shows her compassion and concern for Gregor here. As opposed to the father, who is simply shouting Gregor's name over and over again, Grete inquires about Gregor's health and well-being in a soft, melancholy voice, implying that she truly cares about the state that her brother is in at the moment, and isn't simply irritated that he is late for his work.

Grete's compassion for her brother Gregor does not last as we progress through the book, however. We can see a gradual change in Grete's attitude towards Gregor from sympathy to disdain in the later parts of the book. At first, Gregor's sister is the sole caretaker of Gregor, as the rest of the family is too disgusted to even glance into Gregor's room. We can see Grete's growth here, as she is becoming more independent and taking charge in the family. For example, the text states that Grete provides Gregor with a multitude of food choices at one point, indicating her importance as the sole provider of food for Gregor. The fact that she is actively trying to work with Gregor to determine what he likes and doesn't like to eat perpetuates this idea of her consideration for Gregor and his needs. This positive vibe doesn't last for long, however, as the increasingly large burden that Gregor has been placing on the family is starting to take its toll. When this happens, Grete is by far the one in the family that changes most drastically. In the last section of the book, Gregor comes out of his room for the final time, and Grete responds: "'Dear parents,' said his sister, slapping her hand on the table by way of introduction, things can't go on like this. [...] I refuse to utter my brother's name in the presence of this monster, and so all I say is" we must try to get rid of it" (104). After everything the family has been through, in the end it is Grete who proclaims that Gregor must go. We can see a stark contrast between the Grete at the beginning of the book at the Grete here. The fact that Grete, the compassionate, sympathetic caretaker of Gregor, has now taken such a scornful view of him indicates her transformation of attitude towards Gregor and transformation in general. She no longer even considers the giant insect to be Gregor anymore. Now that she believes her brother is essentially gone, Grete has no qualms about complaining and attempting to remove the creature, while persuading her parents to think the same. At the end of the book, Grete has severed all emotional ties with this insect that has taken the place of Gregor. As she once treated him with care and compassion, she has now metamorphosed and "blossomed into a pretty and shapely girl" (110). Grete is not the same little sister she was to Gregor at the beginning of the book. Thus, her attitude and feelings towards Gregor have shifted accordingly.