Gretes Selfishness and its Effect on the Samsa Family

By convincing her parents to believe that Gregor and the bug are not one and the same,
Grete solidifies her change into a woman without a sense of strong morals and values. Franz
Kafka draws parallels between Grete and Gregor throughout The Metamorphosis, yet their
outcomes are vastly different. The burden that Gregor carried for so long becomes shared by
Mr. Samsa, Mrs. Samsa, and Grete, yet they cannot carry it as valiantly as Gregor did. In their
own unique ways, they succumb to the pressure exerted upon them, abandoning Gregor,
leaving him for dead. Grete is not strong enough to balance her sense of obligation and love for
Gregor with her own happiness. She chooses to be selfish and look out for herself and her
families future, casting the one who had supported them all those years aside. As Grete comes
to her conclusion, the rest of the family reacts likewise and undergo their own metamorphosis.
Gretes internal conflict leads to a loss of innocence and helps shape the views of the rest of the
family, changing their fortunes in a lasting way.
Towards the beginning of the novel, Gretes lack of maturity is obvious. Though Grete
may still be a girl, her care for Gregor is evident. She is the only one who initially asks about
Gregors health and wonders if he is okay. When Gregors supervisor warns Gregor of his
tenuous position at work, Grete loses control and in the room on the right, [Gregors] sister
began to sob (Kafka 10). When Gregor needs her the most, to keep the future of Gregor and
his family and calm down the chief clerk, his sister was not there (16). Grete is put into a
tough situation, as for the first time Gregor is not there to lead and guide her. The absence of
Gregor changes the collective psyche of the family and proves that his support is crucial to the
families success. Grete is unwilling to make the personal sacrifice necessary to try to prevent
Gregor from losing his job. The transition that Gregor makes is tough for the entire family, but
Grete maintains her belief that the bug is Gregor, and though she is fearful, she seemed to
regret her [fearful] behaviour (22) and attempted to feed Gregor. As she becomes used to the
situation, her comments suggest care and love for Gregor, such as, He's enjoyed his dinner
today (24). Gretes compassion is clear, but she seems to battling with her personal horror at
Gregors new form.

The new situation brings about a multitude of changes in the family and forces Grete to
take on more responsibility. Grete has to help [Gregors] mother with the cooking (25), and
takes a sales job to help with the financial loss of Gregor. Her family appreciates all the new
work [she] [is] doing even though, before, they had seen her as a girl who was somewhat
useless and frequently been annoyed with her (29). This represents a parallel to how the
Samsa family took the money with gratitude and [Gregor] was glad to provide it, although there
was no longer much warm affection given in return (26). Gregor served for years as the
figurehead who took control of the families future and provided them with a better life. Over
time, his selfless, noble work became less and less appreciated and took a greater and greater
toll on his own humanity. The situation that Grete now finds herself in mimics that of Gregors a
couple years ago and provides worrying signs for the future. As Grete takes on the new
responsibility, her family is greatly appreciative, but past data on the family suggests that the
warmth will be short lived.
The extra work that Grete does becomes tiring, especially the care of Gregor. Though
she is trying to be as helpful as possible, when she enters Gregors room, she would go
straight to the window and pull it hurriedly open almost as if she were suffocating (28) Gretes
intentions are good when she empties Gregors room, but when her mother faints at the sight of
him, she shouts "Gregor!" ..., glowering at him and shaking her fist (34). This transformation
from the girl who tentatively asked if Gregor was alright at the beginning of the novella is selfevident. When speaking with her father, she speaks as if to suggest that [Gregor] was guilty for
some outrage (35). Her interpretation as such suggests that she is losing all hope that Gregors
intentions are benevolent, unlike her mother who puts her hands behind [the] father's head
begging him to spare Gregor's life (37). Grete reinforces her fathers view that force is
necessary to subjugate Gregor and get him to obey, while convinces her mother that she knows
what is best for Gregor. The Samsa parents slowly have adapted to the new situation and now
look to Grete for decision making and moral advice. The burden that led Gregor to become a
bug is transferred to Grete, which forces her to choose to be either true to herself or act selfishly
and cast off the burden put upon her. The dilemma presented to Grete matures her rapidly and

represents a loss of innocence.

Jobs for all the members of the family makes them overworked and exhausted (40).
Gregor is the only one tying the Samsa family to their current apartment, forcing them to make
sacrifices such as the addition of tenants and eating in the kitchen. Gregors burden is truly
transferred to the family as they carried out absolutely everything that the world expects from
poor people, Gregor's father brought bank employees their breakfast, his mother sacrificed
herself by washing clothes for strangers, his sister ran back and forth behind her desk at the
behest of the customers, but they just did not have the strength to do any more (40). To prevent
becoming bugs themselves, the family must choose to cast off Gregor and serve themselves
instead. Grete gives the family an out by suggesting to Mr. Samsa that he must get rid of the
idea that that's [the bug] Gregor (49). By convincing her mother and father that the bug isnt
Gregor, Grete has absolved herself of all responsibility to care for him, thereby releasing the
burden upon her back.
By acting selfishly, Grete singlehandedly changes the fortunes of the family for the
better. Grete and her family attempt to take on the difficulty of supporting someone else and
discover the unbelievable difficulty of the situation. The pressure and stress forces them to cast
off Gregor and start anew, without a care for the terrible deeds committed in the meantime. This
contrast with the life Gregor lives as a man exposes a cynical aspect of Kafkas novella,
suggesting that a completely selfless, well-intentioned human being will never get what he
deserves. Gretes transformation rapidly matures her and causes her to discover the reality of
life in the real world where the moral high ground will not leave anyone happy.