“Was he an animal, that music could move him so? He felt as if the way to the unknown nourishment he longed for were coming to light.”

So..fuck that family actually.
I want to start by saying I literally didn’t get the fact that it was an extended metaphor until after my lecture about that first part. And it made the families abuse entirely more difficult to read than before hand when I was quite literally seeing him has nothing but a bug. I understood how they were afraid which is quite intelligent of Kafka for using a bug.
But Gregor just had shell shock guys‼️ help my brother out, give him the support he needs!
Other than the fact that the deviation levels were greatly over exaggerated to me this wasn’t an awful read I just thought it could’ve been told better. That’s not to say that I don’t find this intriguing, Kafka is very certainly and super intelligent person and nailed some representation.
Now, I just need to talk about Grete for a hot second. Who does this bitch think she is? You are going to take care of your brother who loves you so dearly and then you’re just going to put in less and less effort every day as you see that he’s not getting better. Now, all this money you’re making? Use it to get him a fucking doctor!? he clearly needs one you dumbass.
And oh my God Gregor he was not giving himself anything. He wasn’t letting himself seek pleasure. He wasn’t letting himself enjoy life. He was just rotting. He hated himself and he was depressed, and he was scaring his family so he tried to do anything in his power to avoid scaring his family. He hears his sister playing the violin. he goes out so he can maybe catch her eye be like “hey I like that. Can you come play for me.” But this is her last straw and she breaks and she’s like oh he’s so selfish and we need to get rid of him because he’s awful and Gregor does nothing but agree with her. OUCH.
In the same scene when Gregor comes out of his room into the living area where the tenants are and the tenants get scared the first thing his father does is try and comfort these tenants. They’re trying to be like “guys don’t leave. It’s okay I promise it’s not that bad” he’s trying to comfort them, he didn’t comfort his son the first day of his metamorphosis not even slightly he didn’t even try. that’s the definition of a piece of shit father.
And then don’t even get me started on the food. I mentioned that he was depressed so essentially he was just rotting. This could be connected to the rotten food that he was given. He wasn’t eating therefore he was killing himself his family. His sister was giving him rotten food, which she stopped eating and eventually, she stopped giving him less food. What happens when you don’t eat enough your body starts deteriorating. He was killing himself just as much as they were slowly killing him.
AH AND THEN THE IRONY! This man at the beginning was literally carrying his family on his back. He was working and he was providing for them. They were living a nice life. They were upper class they, had servants, they had a maid, and they had someone to cook for them. When Gregor was doing his job, his family didn’t show him any compassion or extra love they were just like “okay” and you just accepted the money. He was giving them they weren’t like, “Oh no let me try and find a job” he just rolled with it because he loved them, but when the roles are flipped, and they have to work a job, they don’t pay him the time of day they let him sit in a room completely isolated, actually, they don’t let, him you force him eventually he dies.
Ugh. I will probably be back after the lecture.