Living in a trash can

There is a cliché saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover". The quality of the external appearance is not equivalent to the contents. In fact, actual contents should be valued more than appearance though vicariously perceiving others’ feeling is gruelling. In the novella, “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, the author uses Gregor's bizarre external transformation to depicts judgemental feature of human beings. While Gregor still perceives himself as the responsible son of his parents and the beloved brother of Grete, they perceive him as trash, something to be thrown away.

The story is set in an ordinary household in "Charlotte Street" (28), at Mr Samsa's estate. The family consists of four, the father, the mother, Grete and Gregor. The family are conservatives and try to minimize change; ignoring filth and attempting to maintain an equilibrium. Gregor Samsa is a man who is willing to sacrifice himself for the family to maintain an unstable equilibrium. He perceives accomplishment whenever the family members satisfy with his work. Unlike Grete, Gregor borns with a little talents therefore he subconsciously attempting to earn reputations. He places himself in a harsh condition so that family can perceive him as a responsible and caring member of the family. Moreover, he is a man with a great empathy toward others, wanting his family to live with a minimum struggles as possible. He wants Grete not to be like himself, but to live filled with joy. He also understands the father's declining integrity, as the business collapses a long ago and spends life with a little hope. Gregor Samsa lives humbly and devotes his life for others' happiness. The "money was received with thanks and given with pleasure" (26). The family once perceive...

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...xtremes of spectrum. The father, mother and Grete judge him externally and hoping that he never comes in front of them. Gregor constantly sends off unrequited love hoping that they notice his internal factors remain unchanged. When Gregor comes to realization that his family's love fade away, he learns they can never accept who he really is. Moreover, he completely immerse in filthy emotions and lead to death.

The family rejects to judge him based on his contents. Though Gregor’s perception toward himself remain unchanged, the family rejects to have same perception as before. Even after the Metamorphosis, Gregor still desires to be a responsible son of the parents and Grete's beloved brother. Yet the family treats him as trash, something to throw away. People are intolerant to things that are different from them, and unable to vicariously see through the contents.