Waking up one morning as an insect is not an everyday occurrence. Franz Kafka wrote The Metamorphosis to tell a story of a man and this strange alteration. Although there are many different ways to interpret and describe the book, there is no doubt that the main character, Gregor, experienced outstanding acts of betrayal, both with others and within himself. Consequently, The Metamorphosis embodies various examples of betrayal through Gregor’s father abandoning him, Gregor giving up his life, and Grete losing her faith in Gregor’s human return.
After Gregor mysteriously transforms into a bug overnight, his father does not want much to do with him. When Gregor first reveals himself, Mr. Samsa’s only thoughts are to “return [Gregor] to his room…show more content… Grete feeds him and cleans his room every day. As the story goes on, she begins to detach herself from Gregor by giving less of her time to caring for him. In response to her father’s ideas on how to keep him a part of the family, she cries out, “it has to go… that’s the only answer, Father. You just have to try to get rid of the idea that it’s Gregor” (Kafka 49). Grete eventually realizes that Gregor is not going to stop being an insect. His new form disgusts her and she believes the only solution to her disgust is to make him leave the house. If Grete had stuck by Gregor’s side, Gregor might have found a little bit of hope to live. However, she failed him by losing faith in him, and he concludes that he must kill himself to rid the family of his encumbrence. Grete’s neglect concludes the ways in which Gregor is betrayed in The Metamorphosis.
Throughout the novel, Gregor encounters many different obstacles. Due to the fact that he is now an insect, Gregor has to come to terms with how much his life changes. The Metamorphosis features different ways in which himself or others betray Gregor on account of Mr. Samsa disowning him, Gregor sacrificing his life, and Grete losing hope in Gregor’s return to human
