Gregor as Grandpa
If we accept the premise of the article about Gregor’s transformation being a metaphor for aging, a number of interesting possibilities emerge. For instance, while we talked briefly about Gregor’s parents acting like his children, we did not talk so much about Grete.
Gregor, I think, acts like a proud and over-protective grand-parent to Grete throughout the novel. Or, since he can’t really act much, thinks like one. What do we see of Gregor’s interactions with Grete?
Probably the most notable incident comes at the very end, when Gregor believes that Grete is not being properly appreciated, and that if she joined him he would truly appreciate him. This has all kinds of creepy vibes, but also vibes of “no one else sees the specialness of my grandchild, who is clearly a violin prodigy.” Gregor takes offense at the lodgers not appreciating Grete, like a grand-parent who feels their child has been insulted. He feels like he would truly appreciate everything that Grete does, unlike her parents themselves.
Gregor generally feels that Grete can do no wrong: whatever she does is always the right thing to do, whatever she does for him is always caring, even if it is actually giving him literal garbage to eat. This too, to me at least, feels somewhat grandparent like. Everything the grand-child does is correct, from their violin playing to their serving of food, without much actual analysis of what it is they are doing.
Gregor’s desire to send Grete to conservatory also has similar elements. Gregor is planning on presenting it as a gift to the family, in this case his children (really his parents), and their child, Grete. Gregor here is a richer grandparent helping out their beloved grandchild with something his children would not be able to do on their own.
I don't know, I while some of your statements seems true, like Gregor is over-protective and proud of Grete is grandparent like. He doesn't go back in my day most grandparents do (At least my grandparents).
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is just me but the way Gregor acts at the end of the book is much too creepy for me to imagine him as Grete’s grandparent. His statement on kissing Grete’s neck, and keeping her locked in a room seem too off. I don’t know what their relationship was like before but near the end the way he views and talks about her have completely degenerated into something toxic. It could just be his feeling of isolation being projected onto Grete but something is wrong with Gregor by the end of the story.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's fair. Gregor is certainly very weird at the end of the book, and the idea itself is pretty wacky.
DeleteAs some families do with the elderly, when they are either tired of or don't have the time to care for them, they send them to a nursery home, almost "disposing" them like Gregor's family did to Gregor. While this metaphor does make sense, I'm not 100% sure how valid it is. The fact that we are given Gregor's story pre-transformation, and he was not a grandpa but a son and a brother, does make it seem that this metaphor is a little far-fetched. Nevertheless it is still a very interesting thought.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of him being a grandpa is very interesting to me. It certainly makes sense as he can't move or walk very well and get injured quite often. Also, I agree with how you make the connection with Gregor being a protective grandparent. But at the end of the book, the idea of trapping his "granddaughter" forever is really weird. Maybe this shows how being stuck in a room for a long period of time with little social interaction can really make a toll on someone. In the end of the book, he really isn't mentally stable. Perhaps this was a lesson all a long about how we should treat our elders.
ReplyDeleteGregor's actions near the end of the book and how he wanted to keep Grete in his room feel a little to creepy for a grandparent (but this is Kafka so who knows). Also, Gregor's view of Grete has always been very positive. He loved Grete's playing and wanted to send Grete to the conservatory before he transformed to a bug. I wonder if Gregor has always had these feelings regarding Grete or maybe the transformation into a bug allowed those feelings to intensify.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't really cover this point of view in our class, but now that you mention it, it makes some sense. Gregor is essentially providing for his entire family as if they were his children, his pack of cubs, etc. I also think that a big part of aging is acknowledging when your time has come and letting it happen, I think this could fit in pretty well with Gregor's death, once his role has been played he has no other meaning to live.
ReplyDeleteI agree, comparing Gregor to a grandparent isn't as far fetched as it may seem. We can see that not only in his interactions with his family, but also in his physical disabilities. As the plot progresses, Gregor's insect body continues to deteriorate, he himself experiencing pains to the point he is unable to move anymore.This coincides with the aging of an elderly as their condition worsens and they are forced to rely on artificial objects to support themselves. Unfortunately, Gregor doesn't receive this support from anyone in his family, no matter how greatly he had helped them financially before. Gregor's thoughts in this situation provide an interesting insight into how our guardians may think and reveal an underlying theme throughout the novel on how we should interact with our elders.
ReplyDeleteI agree. These different things do appear in the book, and the idea that the physical deterioration is related to the deterioration of an elderly person does have merit (however most of the damage to Gregor was instituted by the father beating him or through neglect, which doesn't really fit). The care that Gregor displays to Grete does also play into this, however he doesn't really show the correct emotions towards the parents (his "kids"), like when he hears of the leftover money and thinks of his father as smart and money-wise.
DeleteI see it. I think this analogy agrees really well with the idea of Gregor's transformation as a metaphor for aging. I also like your analysis of his interactions with Grete: Gregor as the proud grandpa. (Your post made me imagine Gregor in insect form wearing a sweater, smoking a pipe, lounging in a recliner, which I found to be just a really entertaining image.)
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