In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis Kafka has Gregor Samsa, the protagonist turns into a bug in the first sentence, which eventually causes another metamorphosis to occur to his family specifically his younger sister Grete. Her change isn’t as drastic as Gregor’s her physical being isn’t change but her personality changes; instead of being considered a child she becomes a more independent young woman, who can take care of herself without the financial support Gregor provided. Grete gets a job and takes care of Gregor while he is a bug and her parents start to view her as an adult not a child. Grete’s metamorphosis is the opposite of Gregor’s metamorphosis because Grete got stronger and Gregor got weaker and eventually died. Gregor and Grete have different outlooks on life. Grete’s and Gregor’s metamorphosis contributes to the overall meaning of the work: the existentialism idea that you are alone in the world and you can’t rely on anyone including your family.
Gregor is a workaholic; has no friends; hates his job, but without it his family wouldn’t be able to survive (so he thinks); he also thinks that things happen for a reason and you can’t change them so you should just take things as they are. After Gregor is turned into a bug he becomes even more nonexistent than he was before, his family has forgotten him, ashamed of him, has shunned him, they have done everything to make him seem like he was never there. Gregor knows this and the only thing keeping him alive is Grete but when she gives up on him he has no reason to live anymore, and dies.
Grete though thinks of life as a big opportunity to grow up and find herself. She hates being treated like a child, by her parents and when Gregor turns
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