bybegins with one of the most memorable opening lines in literature:
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found
himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
Once this premise has been established, Gregor then goes through three stages of his
physical metamorphosis: shock, acceptance, and then a decline.
In Part I, the
narration describes Gregors new form as like that of a beetle with a back that is armor
plated, an abdomen that is dome-like and having multiple legs that waved helplessly before
his eyes.
Despite his physical transformation, Gregors mind continues in its
previous train of thought, that of a worried traveling salesman. Aware of his responsibility to
his family, Gregor intends to resume his normal activities, only to be prevented from doing so
by this new insectile body. When Gregors mother taps on his door and asks about the train he
needs to catch, he attempts a reply:
Gregor had a shock as
he heard his own voice answering hers, unmistakably his own voice, it was true, but with a
persistent horrible twittering squeak behind it like an undertone that left the words in their
clear shape only for the first moment and then rose up reverberating around them to destroy
their sense so that one could not be sure one had heard them rightly.
Gregor tries to rationalize away the change in his voice as an
oncoming cold but as he tries to get out of bed, is confronted with his new reality. As he falls
out of bed, and then assures his family and the chief clerk that hes all right, he notes his
insect body is vulnerable to injury, the ends of his legs are sticky, and with effort, he can
use his mandibles to turn the key in the lock.
Despite his good intentions
and attempts to communicate, Gregors appearance horrifies his family and the chief clerk. His
father drives Gregor back into his room with the chief clerks walking stick, an action which
results in Gregor being injured.
Part II of the story finds Gregor in his
room, his body wounded:
His left side felt like one single
long, unpleasantly tense scar, and he had actually to limp on his two rows of legs.
His wounds heal but he can do little but stay in his room,
contemplate his situation, and eavesdrop on the family conversations in the living room. He
works out a system with his sister by which he gets his meals and learns how to push a chair
over to the window so he can look out. He gets used to his new body:
€¦ for mere recreation he had formed the habit of crawling
crisscross over the walls and ceiling. He especially enjoyed hanging suspended from the ceiling;
it was much better than lying on the floor;
However, the
peace doesnt last. While arranging the furniture in his room, Gregors mother catches sight of
him and faints. As his sister runs out to get smelling salts, Gregor follows her. One of the
medicine bottles breaks and glass cuts into Gregor.
Meanwhile, his father has
gone through a metamorphosis of his own, transforming from a sluggish retiree to a uniformed
clerk ready for work. Once more, his father drives Gregor back into his room, this time by
throwing apples at him. An apple becomes lodged in Gregors back, wounding him again.
Part III marks Gregors decline and eventual death. His room becomes dirty, hes unable
to remove the apple stuck in his back, and he stops eating and sits around motionless for
hours. His parents and sister are now too busy working and letting out the extra rooms to
lodgers to take care of him, instead employing a charwoman for the unpleasant tasks.
Gregor manages to leave his room one more time when he hears his sister playing the
violin, startling the family and the lodgers. After they drive him back into his room again,
Gregors sister tells her parents they must get rid of him. Gregor agrees with his sister and
finds his previous strength and agility are now gone:
Soon
he made the discovery that he was now unable to stir a limb. This did not surprise him, rather
it seemed unnatural that he should ever actually have been able to move on these feeble little
legs.
When the charwoman arrives the next morning, she
finds Gregor has died. She calls in his parents and sister who confirm that Gregors body was
completely flat and dry.
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