Is the Family Really Being That Mean??

We discussed in class that the actions of the family were lacking in love and care for Gregor, but I think that the family’s response was completely reasonable.

Gregor’s father seems to be horrified with Gregor’s figure. When he first saw Gregor’s insect figure he proceeded to beat him back into his room with the Chief’s cane. The second time Gregor got in the way of the father, the father threw apples and ended up severely injuring Gregor. I think one important commonality between these two violent encounters is that the father used “ranged attacks”. The father didn’t want to touch Gregor in any way. The fact that Gregor’s father kept his distance when attacking the monstrous bug, I think, was because he was fearful of Gregor. In class, we discussed the father as being an imposing and commanding figure reprimanding Gregor for his inability to work. But to me, it seemed almost like the father was defending himself and his family against Gregor.

Gregor’s mother responds to Gregor’s change by breaking down into tears. Perhaps this response was from grief or a sudden fear. I think the more reasonable interpretation is the sudden fear. This is because the mother refrains from making any contact with Gregor and Gregor even recognizes that his mother doesn’t want to talk to him. This again is a reasonable reaction to Gregor’s changed form, not trying to interact with the bug because of fear.

Finally, in the sister’s case, she seems more comfortable around Gregor, but still she isn’t entirely accepting of Gregor either. When the sister delivers food to Gregor, she leaves the room soon after delivering the food. Gregor interprets this as Grete giving him space, but I think it more likely is Grete trying to get away from the bug. After giving Gregor the food, she doesn’t even watch to see if Gregor eats the food, she just leaves the room and locks the door. I think Grete locking the door is revealing of her intentions. If she really believed that Gregor was benevolent, she would’ve perhaps left the door slightly open or at least not have locked the door. However, her act of locking the door seems to indicate Grete’s fear despite her being the “most comfortable” with the bug out of the family.

Do you think the family’s response is reasonable? Or do you believe that the family should and could have acted differently in that situation?

Comments

  1. Tim ChoOctober 12, 2017 at 11:17 AM

    I can definitely understand their initial reactions which seem to draw from disgust and despair. These initial views of Gregor don't really change throughout the story (except for Grete, who becomes less comfortable with him). I believe the family acted in a way that I can understand (it's a monstrous insect, after all). However, I still believe the family is in the wrong over the course of the story. The initial reactions may have been reasonable, but the rest of their actions seem to be based on the assumption that Gregor is not still Gregor. We see Gregor's thought processes as a bug which prove he's pretty much the same Gregor in his mind. Of course the family can't see this, but the fact that they don't try to communicate with him makes it seem like the family does not believe the bug is the same Gregor (even though they often refer to the bug as Gregor). I think their actions are more justified if they knew the bug was not Gregor, but since they seem to at least be considering the possibility he is Gregor, their actions throughout the book causes me to have very little sympathy for them.

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  2. Gloria SunderlandOctober 13, 2017 at 11:16 AM

    I think they could've acted a little differently, but its hard to know what to do. There's not a handbook for how to treat your insect-son and its hard to imagine what kind of shock they went through when this happened to them. I think, since they immediately assumed it was Gregor, that they should have tried to communicate. If they were too scared to do this at first then maybe they could have tried to communicate more once that initial fear wore off a little bit.

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  3. Max E.October 13, 2017 at 7:18 PM

    Gregor's family being afraid of the giant insect at first is a reasonable response, but it isn't too much to ask that they be a little more caring of the giant insect that used to (and still wants to) spend excess amounts of time at a job he doesn't like so they can laze about all day. As far as they know, Gregor could be going through a severely traumatic experience, and yet most of them haven't the courage to even look at the family's former sole source of income. Further, impaling him with an apple is hardly the kindest Herr Samsa could have been from a distance.

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  4. WillOctober 13, 2017 at 8:15 PM

    Both the mother and sister's initial reactions were very reasonable in my opinion. Particularly, the sister's reaction struck me as the most realistic- the mother's attitude towards Gregor seems slightly exaggerated in my opinion. Even though she knows that the bug is her son, she doesn't act as if he is.
    However, the dad's reaction was very confusing. He was initially very angry, then began sobbing seconds later- I'm not sure if a fear of bugs would explain that. The father's continued attacks on Gregor throughout the rest of the story also seem weird. He very well understands that the bug is his son, but continues to attack him. From what we know, he doesn't have any reasons to hate Gregor enough to seriously injure him.

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  5. Matthew JinOctober 14, 2017 at 5:14 PM

    I agree with your points. Due to such a cold disposition towards Gregor, readers see Gregor's family as unreasonable and just morally wrong people. But if we put ourselves in their shoes, we can understand their view and perspective. How would you react if your son turned into a gigantic (not very aesthetically pleasing) insect? His sister and mother were nice enough to even do the certain things that they did. They weren't even sure if the bug was actually Gregor!

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  6. NishantOctober 14, 2017 at 5:46 PM

    I was trying to imagine how my family would react if I were to suddenly turn into a giant insect. As you say, the initial horrified reaction is justified and I can sympathize with them because it is shocking to see a family member turning into a bug. What is striking about Gregor’s family is that they never seemed to value him much even when he was a human. They never seem to be grateful to him for taking the job in order to pay off the family debt. So, in my opinion, the family’s reaction is not just a response to Gregor’s transformation. Rather, it may just be an excuse to treat him even worse. And in that sense, it feels unreasonable.

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