Pesty Problems

In bizarre situations, one of the most interesting pieces to look into is how different people react to the same situation. In the story, “Metamorphosis,” each character show has a completely different reaction to the fact that Gregor is truly a giant insect.
The most intriguing reaction is that of Gregor himself. Rather than having a typical reaction of “Oh my goodness, I am a giant bug!” he is more concerned about getting to work on time and the fact that his family needs his money. This is interesting because throughout the story, we do not often see Gregor contemplate why he has transformed into an insect. We also do not see him attempt to fix or understand the unusual situation of his recently acquired “insectly” disease. His calmness and acceptance of the situation without worries of how or why is surprising to the reader and creates a setting of a character’s understanding that seems unknown to the reader throughout the story. It is a creepy sight that the reader understands as we watch Gregor worry very little about his unsightly transformation, and the reader almost sees him as a personified insect rather than an actual giant insect. While Gregor reacts quite strangely, others react much more naturally to the abnormal situation.
The office manager who comes to see Gregor for his missing the early train reacts quite naturally to the situation, and the author sees how abnormal Gregor’s reaction truly is. The man from the office at first seems accusing toward Gregor for being in bed and for being late to work but once the door opens; as the man retreats from the giant insect he formerly knew as Gregor, we understand the intensity of the insect situation. If the business man had been more calm and collected about the situation, it would seem that in the society that the story takes place, such transformations are common. Through this man, the reader realizes that this metamorphosis has not occurred as a normality, as if in a different world, but it has occurred in the same world that we live in, making the transformation be an understandable tragedy. The office worker shows to the reader that while Gregor does not seem to realize the sad truth of his situation; he no longer has a normal life and is forever burdened.
Seeing two completely different reactions to the same situation gives the reader the ability to make different assumptions about the tragedy and hilarity of the insect situation. While typically giant pests would be a grand problem for a household, Gregor does no seem to realize the severity of his condition and carries on his days thinking more about other problems than his self. Typically this should seem selfless, but his avoidance of the problem makes him only seem to the reader like more or a lowly and buggy person. Comparing the two different people’s reactions to the same situation, the reader can identify that this problem of being a giant insect is indeed abnormal and should be disheartening to the only bread-winner of a family. This “illness” will keep the family from bringing in money as well as give an embarrassment of having a giant insect as a family member. This story is full of differing opinions on the same situation, one which seems so unlikely that it is almost hard for the reader to truly comprehend the emotional severity the change would have of Gregor’s emotions without adding a little of his or her own humor (581).