Now Where'd I Put That Giant Shoe...

It is important to note that the title of this story, "The Metamorphosis", does not only apply to Gregor Samsa. Yes our notice quickly is drawn the transformation of man to giant bug but he is not the only character that undergoes a significant transformation. Other members of his family, namely his father and sister, also undergo profound change because of Gregor's state.

Gregor's sister, Grete, goes through profound change after Gregor's own transformation. Initially, Grete is the most supportive member of the family. She becomes Gregor's caretaker in many ways, even taking special note of his new dietary likes and dislikes. As time goes on, however, Grete begins to lose faith that Gregor's state could improve and even that the giant bug in her house is truly her brother. In the end, she even goes so far as to say that the bug could not possibly be Gregor, because Gregor would have tried to spare them of this misery. We see through this chain that Grete makes more of a negative transformation in the story. She starts out as a loving and sweet sister and even manages to maintain her caring state after Gregor's transformation. But in the end she too transforms, into a selfish person who couldn’t care less about her brother’s unfortunate state. She goes through this extremely negative transformation as a result of Gregor’s state and ends up making his existence even worse.

Gregor’s father also undergoes a profound change after Gregor’s transformation, but his is much more positive than Grete’s. Before, when Gregor was supplying the family’s income, his father was lazy and depressed, sitting at home all day while Gregor works to support the family. When Gregor transforms and obviously stops working, his father is forced to return to work. Rather than making him bitter, however, working returns the father’s vitality and confidence. He transforms back into a full person. For someone, Gregor’s transformation actually has positive impact on life. His positive changes still take tolls on Gregor’s life, but he does manage to become a stronger and better person out of necessity.

Gregor is by no means the only member of the family that goes through a profound transformation in this story. Grete, his sister, changes for the worse, beginning as a caring maternal figure and evolving into a selfish jerk like the rest of her family. His father changes for the better, becoming a more confident and stronger person than he was when Gregor was working. Positive or negative, the family’s changes only mean bad things for Gregor, who suffers from his father’s aggression and his sister’s lack of faith. In many ways, we have to consider that the title “the Metamorphosis” encompasses much more than one man’s transformation into a bug. (460)