Influence

It would appear that throughout Gregor’s life, his little sister Grete has the most influence over him. She not only demonstrates the most care for Gregor but is also the most cared for by Gregor. In the beginning of Kafka’s novella Metamorphosis, Grete gets very emotional very quickly over the idea that Gregor may be about to lose his job. She is also the first in their family to extend kindness towards him by giving Gregor a bowl of milk. It is also obvious that Gregor highly values her opinion as well in how he continuously hides himself away from her so she can avoid being frightened by his new appearance as a bug. And, when he does show himself to his family, “Gregor had not the slightest intention of frightening anyone, far less his sister”. Because of this extreme devotion towards one another when Gregor hears Grete claim,“ ‘We must try to get rid of [Gregor]’ ”, he can do nothing more than agree. Because his sister not only wants him to disappear but has begun to think of him as an inconvenience, he feels the same way about himself. Though Gregor is portrayed as a weak character and the influence of others greatly affecting him comes as no surprise, every person finds themselves greatly affected by those they love.

Metamorphosis

In a modern world can one find sanctuary?

In the novella Metamorphosis, Kafka ensues that in a modern world, one can only find sanctuary in death. For Gregor, life consisted of alienating himself since he solely did as others told him. When he did have time to himself, Gregor focused on seemingly trivial things such as cutting out a picture of a woman from a magazine. This reveals his want for escape since he probably thought of the picture as a means of sanctuary. Gregor might have found comfort in either the women’s beauty or how a piece of her forearm was able to completely vanish within the muff she was wearing. Maybe it gave him hope that he could live that kind of life. Yet the possibility for greater escape is found when he becomes a bug. While Gregor embraces the idea, everyone around him is revolted and he becomes an extreme annoyance to even his loving sister. While becoming a bug gave Gregor the chance to escape his human life and find sanctuary in losing his petty human responsibilities, he instead is faced with more grief than before. "The decision that he must disappear" became his only alternative to stop being a burden not only onto others but onto himself.