Throughout the Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka used Gregor as a tool to show the many faces of a nuclear family. The Metamorphosis isn't so much about Gregor as it is about the surroundings of Gregor. During the novel, Kafka transforms the slight occurrence of a dream into the conclusion and birth of life. As Gregor lives the course of his new life he grows and changes, for better or worse, but realizes many unprecedented things over the course of the endeavor.
"When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin." With this first sentence Gregor leads us into his story. Gregor only gets a few words off to his family before he is no longer able to form words. This lack of communication comes as his first hardship. Without speech Gregor becomes totally isolated from the people he loves. But in his silence he is able to hear what they say about him, for they do not know that he understands them. It doesn't do him much good for his family does not speak after the metamorphosis. But as time goes on they don't think of him in such an awkward manner. On the contrary, he becomes a common burden that they all share though they would never speak of him as such. The irony is that they were a heavy burden on Gregor during his former job. Gregor never treated them as one though. From our outside perspective we can plainly see how both sides handle the same situation.
Often Gregor's actions are misunderstood due to his lack of dialogue. "Gregor realized that he must on no account let the manager go away in this mood. he was off to a running start to be as sure as possible to catch up with him." for this Gregor is beaten back into his room, for it seemed an attack. In less than an hour Gregor has transformed, in his families eyes, into an animal. Often misunderstandings occur in everyday life, but they can become real problems when there is no one to explain them.
