The Metamorphosis - Wisniewski

Before his metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa resides in the body of a human, but inwardly possesses the confidence and personality of a bug. His job as a traveling salesman reveals aspects about his bug-like personality and how others perceive him. Gregor’s work requires neither imagination nor lateral thinking, but instead only has need of mindless effort, much like an insect trying to survive using mechanical proceedings. Even so, his work is extremely important to him – even when he realizes that he has become an insect, his first thought is concern towards his work, as he comments upon “what a grueling job [he’s] picked” (4). Gregor is the “tool of the boss, without brains or backbone”(5). At first metaphorically described as a bug, he is now the physical manifestation of the beast. Like a bug, he allows himself to be push

ed around and treated badly as the manager berates Gregor for “strutting about, flaunting strange whims,” which is not true (11). Not only does his manager abuse him, people consider the occupation of a salesman as irritating, not to mention something to be brushed away. Salesmen are not considered part of human society, but instead “live like harem women”, who are not part of human society as Gregor is also not(4). Gregor, instead of being respected by his family and manager for his diligence and responsibility, is instead treated more and more like an insect. Gregor’s family does not really appreciate his sacrifices for them, and his metamorphosis into an insect is only a physical manifestation of what his family had already thought of him. Gregor’s only value to his family is to make money for them. As it becomes apparent that Gregor is doomed to stay in the physical body of a bug, his sister proclaims that Gregor “persecutes [them], drives the roomers away, obviously wants to occupy the whole apartment and for [the family] to sleep in the gutter” (52). As Gregor is no longer any use to the family, they cease to care for him. Alienated f

Some topics in this essay:
Gregor Samsa, Paradoxically Gregor, Christopher Wisniewski’s, Christopher Wisniewski, human society, physical manifestation, italics supplied, human inside, 3 italics supplied, bug metamorphosis, gregor beast, gregor bug, beast nor, body bug, physical shell,