This passage demonstrates Gregor’s sister’s maturation, the question of maintaining stability in Gregor’s life or acting pragmatically and Gregor’s reduced ability to control his own life. In the first line the idea that Gregordoes not want his room to be changed is illustrated by the repetition of the concept. “Nothing should be removed; everything had to stay,” he thought. This belief reminds us that he is still human on the inside. In the next line he call crawling around “senseless” where he had praised it previously. In remembering how much he liked the human elements of his room he is detached from things he liked about being an insect. It also reminds him of how powerless he is to preserve those things that remind him of who he used to be.

            The lines about Gregor’s sister show that she is becoming a powerful figure in the household. It is mentioned that she is only 17 years old, but Gregor’s sister presents an opinion that seems in this instance to act supreme. By saying that “[Gregor’s] sister unfortunately had a different opinion” the author means that, while Gregor wanted one thing, but it was his sister who had all the control. Not even their mother, who was of Gregor’s opinion, could stop her. It is also shown that his sister was becoming mature when they say that she was “[a] particularly well qualified expert whenever Gregor’s affairs were being discussed.”

            The tone of this segment is one of helplessness. Much of the language that is used to demonstrate the new authority that Gregor’s sister is taking is also used to illustrate how out of Gregor’s hands his life has become.