How Does The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka Change

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a novella. The theme in this story is that change in one character leads to positive and negative change in other characters. Gregor Samsa, the main character changes into dung beetle. His change affects his family deeply and they make both positive and negative changes to accommodate both his change and themselves. The family resents Gregor and sees him as a burden, which is a negative change, but previously the family had relied on Gregor as their source of income. This is where the conflict arises because now they have to learn to work for themselves instead of relying on Gregor for income, which is ultimately a great positive change.

The family's initial reaction towards Gregor is largely extremely negative. When the family and the chief clerk, Gregor's boss, see him for the first time they panic. Gregor is promptly shoved back into his room and he is locked there. "No one came any longer, and, in addition, the keys were now on the outside" (page 25). This represents the family's immediate hostility towards Gregor where as before Gregor's
Gregor's mother and Grete had obtained jobs, and Gregor saw how tired and overworked the family was becoming. In the beginning Grete took careful time to feed Gregor and clean his room, but as she worked she hastily shoved food into Gregor's room as she ran off. The bitterness of the family peaked, and Grete even wished for Gregor to die. "And therefore I merely say: we have to try to get rid of it" (page 47). Where previously Gregor had been dying physically he had accepted that he was a burden on the family and he was also dying emotionally. He accepted his face and dies peacefully. When the family finds Gregor dead they are relieved and thankful they don't have to deal with him anymore. Gregor dying had a positive effect on the family because now they were relieved of the burden that they had been