The relationship that Gregor and his father have is disgusting. To me, Gregor perceives to be a coward. He is easily manipulated by his family members especially his father which I will discuss later on. In part 1, we can assume little about Gregor’s previous lifestyle before he transformed into a cockroach. He was respected by his father because Gregor was the member providing income for the family. He was happy making his family happy although the cost of it was suffering through a job he did not enjoy to pay off his father’s debts. Gregor’s father was defeated; he had no job and hence his position in the family did not seem as important as Gregor’s.
When Gregor transformed into a cockroach, this violent person emerged from within the father and struck out against his own son. The physical condition that Gregor had become motivated his father to get back onto his feet and work. It enabled him to be in control again and to manipulate Gregor more than ever before since Gregor’s appearance frightened everybody.
Gregor acted cowardly before and after he was a cockroach. His cowardice is a tragic flaw. His father was able to control and guilt him into believing that he chose to be a travelling salesman when in fact he hadn’t: “Oh God, he thought, what an exhausting job I’ve picked out for myself!” (54) Gregor’s position in the family was genuine and honest although he acted in a weak manner. Gregor’s father was cruel and manipulative towards his son and unappreciative of everything Gregor was doing for him. This is what I find disgusting. When I read of the father’s violent blow against his son who was the victim in the situation, still processing what was happening – confused and lost on what he had become, I was sickened by how the father had reacted. The relationship that Gregor and his father have fails to exist. There is NO relationship. There is only manipulation, control, anger and weakness. It is a father’s job to create a real relationship with his son, to love his son, to protect his son. Instead, Gregor’s father used this transformation to his advantage and has always used his son to his advantage.
The last thing I want to mention is Gregor’s father’s FIRST reaction before his violence blew out of him. The father had wept. He was shocked and astounded by his son’s appearance yet he had wept. This was the only element that made me believe there was a small part of love that the father had for his son.
Hey Monique!
ReplyDeleteI dont think that Gregor is a coward. Certainly, once he has become a cockroach there is no way he can communicate with his family or stand up for himself. In fact any instance he tries some action as quietly leaving the room is misinterpreted as aggression by his family. Before becoming a cockroach, he was not a coward but more of a conformist of weak character who wanted to do the right thing. His actions were not determined by fear but by an inate sense of duty to his fmily and his job. However, i do agree that despite the callous nature of his father, his weeping did demonstrate that his frustration of himself and his circumstance and a certain remorse of his ill treatment to this cockroach who is after all still his flesh and blood.
Sabrina
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