This is a story about a young man named Gregor
Samsa who is a clerk at a local firm.
He is the typical work-a-holic living with
his parents, trying to work off the family
debt.
However, he wakes up one day to find that
he is a human-sized beetle.
At first he struggles to get out of bed and
can hardly maneuver his body, as he's not
used to moving with so many legs.
When his parents see him as a beetle for the
first time, they react pretty strongly, but
his sister, Grete, is not so apprehensive.
In the coming months, she cleans his room
and feeds him.
Grete decides to move the furniture out of
Gregor's room so that he can climb around
the walls.
In doing so, the mother catches another glimpse
of Gregor and faints.
As time passes, Gregor realizes that without
him working, the family is in deep financial
trouble.
The family brings in three renters into the
apartment to bring in some extra money, but
when Gregor is seen by the renters, they decide
to not pay their rent and leave.
It is then decided by the family that Gregor
must leave.
Gregor, upon hearing this, goes back to his
room and dies.
The family finds him dead and their life seems
to turn around.
They all get jobs and find a new place to
live.
And in the end, Gregor's parents recognize
Grete, Gregor's sister, as a beautiful young
woman.
Initially, this is a story about the metamorphosis
of Gregor - a transformation from a human
to a beetle.
However, what we really see is a metamorphosis
of the family unit.
In the beginning, we see a family who is strained
under debt and apathetic towards this problem.
And at the end, each member of the family
begins to take initiatives to work and to
change.
This story is also about perspective, as we
are mainly placed into the mind of Gregor.
Although he is a beetle from the beginning
of the story, the part of him that is still
human characterizes and humanizes how we too
might react in a similar situation.
Throughout the story, Gregor hovers between
insect and human.
We see this in moments when he is considerate
of his sister seeing him, covering himself
with a bed sheet so as to not scare her with
his appearance.
And although people don't wake up as insects
in real life, individuals do undergo forms
of change.
The beetle exterior can be a metaphor for
depression, post-traumatic stress disorder,
or even going away for college.
One day, the world recognizes that you've
changed.
And you may not be a giant insect, but the
world must now respond to the metamorphosized
you.
