The family, on the other hand, takes care of Gregor after his metamorphosis only so far as duty seems to necessitate. Though Gregor hates his job, he follows the call of duty to his family and goes far beyond simple duty. His thoughts are almost entirely of the need to support his parents and sending his sister to the Conservatory. The theme of family and the duties of family members to each other drive the interactions between Gregor and the others. The exhaustion of dehumanizing jobs and the recognition that people are only valuable so long as they earn a salary keeps anyone who works isolated from others and unable to establish human relations with them. Once the family begins working, they also find difficulty communicating with each other, eating dinner in silence and fighting among themselves.

When Gregor is no longer able to work after his metamorphosis, he is treated with revulsion and neglected. Thus, with the possible exception of his sister, the family seems to treat him not as a member but as a source of income.

Gregor is enslaved by his family because he is the one who makes money. Each book includes discussion questions that help clarify and reinforce major themes and reading recommendations for further research.Buy Study Guide Economic effects on human relationships A work in which, in the words of Vladimir Nabokov, “contrast and unity, style and matter, manner and plot are most perfectly integrated.”Įnriched Classics enhance your engagement by introducing and explaining the historical and cultural significance of the work, the author’s personal history, and what impact this book had on subsequent scholarship. One of the most widely read and influential works of twentieth-century fiction, The Metamorphosis is a harrowing yet absurdly comic meditation on inadequacy, guilt, and isolation. The story of Gregor Samsa, a young man who, after transforming overnight into a giant, beetle-like insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, and a quintessentially alienated man. So begins The Metamorphosis, one of the most recognizable opening lines in literature. When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin. Each book includes educational tools alongside the text, enabling students and readers alike to gain a deeper and more developed understanding of the writer and their work.

Enriched Classics offer readers accessible editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and commentary.

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