Meta Questions

Q: Why does the family abandon Gregor?
A: The family abandons Gregor at the end of the story because they lost hope in him. They lost hope that he would become human again, and they didn’t appreciate Gregor not being able to work anymore. Since they relied on him for income, and he could no longer provide it, they viewed him as useless.

Q: Why does Gregor still have love and affection for his family even after they start to forget about him?
A: Gregor still has love for his family despite their neglect because Kafka is commenting on family dynamics. You should always love your family, no matter what. The Samsa family could not show that love for Gregor in spite of his situation. Sometimes families today shun other members of the family for something that they did or something that happened to them. Gregor represents the other side of the spectrum, that is loving your family unconditionally.

Q: Do you think that they move the furniture in the room to kill him faster?
A: I think that they move the furniture out of his room to further dehumanize him, not necessarily kill him faster. The family no longer felt that Gregor the bug was the REAL Gregor, so they saw no point in continuing to treat him humanely.

Q: Why does Grete NOW choose to get a job? Both her parents are getting them so what is the point?
A: Grete chooses to get a job at the end of the story because she is feeling herself and wants to further impress her parents. She was perfectly capable of employment when Gregor was working his butt off, but did not take the opportunity. I think she only works now to make herself seem even more responsible since Gregor can no longer bring in income. It can be viewed as a type of sibling rivalry thing, seeking the parents approval.

Q: Why does Gregor stop eating?
A: Gregor stops eating because he has become depressed. I think Gregor purposely stopped eating, knowing that he would die. He felt like he was a burden on his family, and ultimately lost faith in himself. He thought death was the best way.

Q: What is the significance of the violin? Of all the choices of instruments, why does Kafka choose the violin for Grete to play?
A: The violin is significant because it is symbolic of sorrow. Kafka was rather depressed when writing this story, and the violin was the most “depressing” of the instruments.

Q: Does Gregor's family feel sadness at his death? Relief?
A: The family doesn’t feel sadness after the death of Gregor. To them, Gregor the bug was not Gregor their son. Because they looked at him having two different entities, they were rather relieved that Gregor had passed. To them he was a specimen and vermin, not a member of the family. They felt relief because they no longer had to live in fear and they could move out of the apartment without having to deal with him. At the end of the story they were only concentrated on the future, as Mr.Samsa said “stop brooding over the past”.

Q: Why is the family more quiet at meal times?
A: The family is more quiet at meal times because they resemble American families today, who sometimes don’t even eat dinner together at all.

Q: Why does Gregor feel depression at his family's reaction to him?
A: Gregor is depressed at his families reaction to him because he knew that he wouldn’t have done that to them. Gregor was the kind of person to help others and forget about himself, which could be described as the extreme of selfless. He figured that with all the things he had done for his family, including buying them the apartment and paying off his parents debt, they would return the favor. Once they did not, he came to the conclusion that they never really cared for him. Gregor talks about how when his door was locked they were so eager to get it opened, but now that it was open they never tried to come in.

Q: How long has Gregor been in the room before he dies?
A: Gregor was in the room for an unspecified period of time. The book never really says anything about how long he had been there. We know he was in there for at least 1 month because in the story it says Grete came in and was still scared after one month.