In The Metamorphosis

In The Metamorphosis, Gregor's family is affected greatly by his changed form in physical appearance. In their opinion, nothing will be the same anymore being that Gregor was the one everyone in the household depended on. As a result, he is treated more of like a bug than human, and his family slowly pushes him away because he is no longer apart of them. Each of the Samsa’s family members undergoes a change after Gregor’s metamorphosis. Firstly, his sister, Grete. Apart from her brother, Grete is the only other character addressed by name in the story, a distinction that shows her relative importance. Grete is also the only character to show pity for him through most of the novella. Grete, however, changes more than any other character in the story, and that change occurs while her pity for Gregor slowly diminishes. At first, she takes care of her brother out of kindness, but eventually she comes to acknowledge the job as a duty. She doesn’t always enjoy it, but it serves to define her position in the family, and she becomes territorial about caring for her brother, not wanting her mother to be involved. As she matures and takes on more adult responsibilities like getting a job to help provide for her family financially, her commitment to Gregor diminishes. Eventually, it is Grete who decides they must get rid of Gregor. The story ends with the parents recognizing that Grete has become a pretty young woman and thinking that it may be time to find her a husband, suggesting Grete has completed her own transformation into an adult. Secondly, his concerned mother. The mother cares a lot about her son and thinks highly of him when it comes to his devotion with his work. But, ever since the metamorphosis of her son took place, the mother is torn between her love for him and her horror at his new state. Grete and Gregor’s father seek to protect her from the full reality of her son’s transformation knowing that she cannot handle or accept the fact that her son