COL130 Paper 3
COL130 Paper 3
COL130 Paper 3
Sajid Aziz
Professor Weil
COL130
10/26/21
The relationship between humans and animals is a topic that has been largely discussed in
literature. Questions about the differences and similarities between humans and animals arise and
the answers can be very different. For many, physical appearance can be an easy way to separate
oneself from animals. On the other hand, similarities with our intelligence and emotional
response can show just how closely related we really are to animals. Further questions about the
hierarchy within the animal kingdom are asked in many pieces of literature, including Franz
Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. This short story tells the narrative of a man who, like the title
suggests, undergoes a transformation. The opening line shares how Gregor Samsa woke up one
morning as a “vermin.” Over the next few weeks, Gregor tries to adapt to his new form while his
parents struggle to even look at him. Gregor’s sister, Grete, is responsible for feeding Gregor
because their parents are too scared of Gregor in his insect form. Gregor soon realizes that even
Grete can’t look at the creature that he has become so he hides himself under a bed sheet
whenever she enters the room. This causes Gregor to become completely isolated from all
human interaction. Even though Gregor is not physically a human anymore, he still suffers from
the same psychological issues that humans do; the isolation is not good for his mental state. Each
time Gregor attempts to come out of his room, he is either forced back in by his father or he
causes his mother to faint. After several series of these events, the family realizes that it is
impossible to continue living with Gregor. The Metamorphosis illustrates that some creatures are
unable to live with humans. This goes back to the idea that some animals have a higher status
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than others, despite them all being part of the animal kingdom. Gregor is in a predicament where
he must give up his own life in order to keep his family satisfied. Even though he is no longer
physically a human, Gregor’s death proves that being a human is made up of both positive and
negative characteristics: his family’s rejection and betrayal, and his own self-awareness and
predicament. This predicament will ultimately be the reason for Gregor's death. Throughout most
of the story, Gregor’s sister Grete was the only one who showed any affection or care for Gregor
after his transformation. Although it wasn’t much, it was more than anyone else in the
household. She would enter the room and provide food for Gregor, even though she was terrified
of his appearance. Not only did she bring him food, but when she noticed that he had not eaten it,
she brought more options for him to taste until he found what he liked. Gregor’s parents,
however, made no attempt to feed Gregor because “it would have been more than they could
stand” (Kafka 21) to have seen Gregor in his new state. This is a clear indication that Grete is the
most accepting of the new Gregor thus far. This will ultimately make the predicament even more
significant. The predicament comes after Gregor ends up unintentionally scaring the members of
his household several times. Each time he leaves his room and someone sees him, a large
commotion takes place, causing him to be violently forced back into isolation. Eventually, his
parents and sister become fed up with this and decide that they can not live with the creature
around. Grete explains to her father that “it’s got to go” (Kafka 40), clearly dissociating Gregor
from his human self. By referring to Gregor as “it” instead of “he,” Grete is stripping Gregor of
his humanity and limiting him to his physical characteristics, even though Gregor has not shown
any intentions of harming anyone. Furthermore, Grete claims that “if it were Gregor he would
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have seen long ago that it’s not possible for human beings to live with an animal like that and he
would have gone of his own free will” (Kafka 40). This statement is specifically devastating to
Gregor because Grete is saying that in order to prove that he is still truly Gregor, he must leave
the family. This statement by Gregor’s closest family member is why he must die: to prove that
he is still Gregor and that his soul has not changed unlike the rest of his body. The predicament is
unique because it came from the only person who showed any sympathy and caring for Gregor
after he transformed. This causes Gregor to feel a strong need to prove his humanity to her
specifically. Because of this, his decision was very easy. Gregor never had a doubt about what
choice he would make; in fact, he “felt that he must go away even more strongly than this sister”
(Kafka 41). Clearly Grete’s words had a large impact on Gregor because ther caused him to
Gregor’s tragic death was the result of a display of human characteristics, both positive
and negative. All of the members of the Samsa family show certain traits throughout the entirety
of the story which represent what makes us human. It is impossible to be a human without
having flaws, and the parents of Gregor Samsa are no exception. The parents, and eventually
Grete as well, display a form of rejection of Gregor. While Gregor has not changed mentally, his
family can not see past the physical changes that have occured. After Gregor reveals himself to
his family and the chief, he tries to convince the chief not to fire him for his uncontrollable
transformation. The speech that Gregor gives shows that despite his physical appearance, he is
still in fact Gregor and that nothing mentally has changed. Gregor’s mother, however, still only
sees him as a creature and shouts “help, for pity’s sake, help!” (Kafka 17) when she sees him.
Mrs. Samsa’s rejection of her son continues throughout the story, as she faints almost every time
she sees him. This along with Mr. Samsa’s violence towards Gregor are key factors in Gregor’s
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passing. His parents and sister have betrayed Gregor by reducing him to just a “creature.” On the
other hand, Gregor’s death is the epitome of human selflessness and self-awareness. Several
times after his transformation Gregor showed that he still cared enough about his parents to hide
himself so he wouldn’t scare them. Many of Gregor’s actions are “out of consideration for his
parents” (Kafka 26) even if it meant putting himself in an uncomfortable situation. Gregor pays
the ultimate price at the end of the story by allowing himself to pass away after hearing his
family discuss that they would be able to “carry on with their lives” (Kafka 40) if he was gone.
Gregor’s death illustrates how human nature can be vey two-sided. On one hand there is betrayal
and rejection, which leads to the death of Gregor. Conversely, Gregor’s selflessness and
Kafka’s The Metamorphosis demonstrates how it is in human nature to reject living with
certain types of creatures. Society has assigned values to certain animals and unfortunately some
creatures have to be at the bottom of the list. This is shown in the story by Gregor’s
transformation and the subsequent rejection of him by his family. Gregor’s death shows that
human beings are naturally both good and bad. Perhaps Kafka intended to show that Gregor was
really more human than his family due to his selflessness and consideration for others, while his