Work in Metamorphosis
When Gregor first wakes up in his insect body, the first thing he thinks about is work. He completely disregards his disgusting form and tries to get ready for work. This shows that work is very important to Gregor and is a huge part of his identity as the money-earner for the family. This might be a stretch, but I think that the reason Gregor had such a minimal reaction to his transformation is because he had already lost all dignity and self-respect for himself and as such, he is okay with seeing himself as a cockroach considering how he already saw himself as such a lowlife.
This lowlife attitude can be seen when he thinks about himself when he talks about his family. Even though his dad is a lazy bum who leeches off Gregor's paycheck despite being healthy, Gregor seemingly has no qualms with him. Even when Grete starts treating Gregor like a pet cockroach, feeding him moldy foods, he still appreciates her greatly. No matter how horribly his family treats him, he always views them in a positive light, giving them the benefit of the doubt and thinking that they are trying trying their best for him. Even when he does speak out and gets mad, he immediately follows up with his usual demeanor of naive optimism.
The reason for Gregor's attitude is because of his job. The way I see it, the story is arguing that the daily grind of of work strips a person of their dignity, a transformation that can be seen not only with Gregor, but also with his father. Before the father found a job, he stuck around at home eating breakfast and being lazy without trying to help alleviate the financial troubles that he stuck on Gregor. After Gregor's metamorphosis, he got a job and he himself went through a change. He was no longer a slob who lounged in his armchair wearing his PJs, he was a well-dressed man who stood up straight with an air of pride and motivation. After finding a job, he had found a purpose in life and a sense of dignity. But as time went on, the father eventually stopped taking off his uniform which got dirtier and dirtier. This shows that slowly but surely, he is losing the self-respect that he once had at the beginning of his job.
That's why I think Gregor doesn't care about his transformation, its because his work made him lose so much self-respect that any physical form seems okay for him. Is what I'm thinking a stretch or does it make sense?
This lowlife attitude can be seen when he thinks about himself when he talks about his family. Even though his dad is a lazy bum who leeches off Gregor's paycheck despite being healthy, Gregor seemingly has no qualms with him. Even when Grete starts treating Gregor like a pet cockroach, feeding him moldy foods, he still appreciates her greatly. No matter how horribly his family treats him, he always views them in a positive light, giving them the benefit of the doubt and thinking that they are trying trying their best for him. Even when he does speak out and gets mad, he immediately follows up with his usual demeanor of naive optimism.
The reason for Gregor's attitude is because of his job. The way I see it, the story is arguing that the daily grind of of work strips a person of their dignity, a transformation that can be seen not only with Gregor, but also with his father. Before the father found a job, he stuck around at home eating breakfast and being lazy without trying to help alleviate the financial troubles that he stuck on Gregor. After Gregor's metamorphosis, he got a job and he himself went through a change. He was no longer a slob who lounged in his armchair wearing his PJs, he was a well-dressed man who stood up straight with an air of pride and motivation. After finding a job, he had found a purpose in life and a sense of dignity. But as time went on, the father eventually stopped taking off his uniform which got dirtier and dirtier. This shows that slowly but surely, he is losing the self-respect that he once had at the beginning of his job.
That's why I think Gregor doesn't care about his transformation, its because his work made him lose so much self-respect that any physical form seems okay for him. Is what I'm thinking a stretch or does it make sense?
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