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Gregor Samsa is a traveling salesman who is his family’s source of income. His life revolves around his job because
he’s adamant about providing for his family. However, his role is tossed out the window when he wakes up one day to
find himself turned into a helpless, revolting bug. Throughout the story, Gregor struggles to cope with his alienation. He
loves his family, and it pains him to watch them treat him as though he is no longer important, as though only his exterior
defines who he is as a person now. Towards the end, when Gregor overhears his family discussing ways to get rid of him, he
beings to wonder if he should remove himself from the apartment so that his family might continue their lives without worrying
about him. Even in death, Gregor still focused his thoughts on what was best for his family, which portrays how selfless a
person he was.
Mr. Samsa is Gregor’s father who is responsible for their family having huge debts burdening them. Now that Gregor
has replaced him in providing for the family, hurting his pride and more importantly assuming his role as the dominant member
of the family, Mr. Samsa is very critical of Gregor’s work. When Gregor undergoes his metamorphosis, Mr. Samsa refuses
to visit him. Ironically, when Grete suggests it’s time to dispose of Gregor towards the end of the story, Mr. Samsa
defends him, saying there has to be something else they can try before resorting to that. His character, like Grete’s,
is changed as well. In the beginning, Mr. Samsa was the one that physically attacked the metamorphosed Gregor, trying to protect
his family while also reinstating his dominance. However, in the end, he remembers Gregor is still a part of their family,
and it is he who stands up for Gregor when Gregor can’t stand up for himself.
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Mrs. Samsa is Gregor’s fragile mother. While she is frightened by the sight of him as a bug, she also feels sorry
for him, and still believes that her son is lying somewhere within the bug. She is confident that Gregor will change back
into a human, for when Grete wants to remove the furniture from his bedroom, she suggests leaving the room the way it is so
Gregor won’t think they have forgotten about him. And while he is an insect, Mrs. Samsa still protects him, as a mother
protects her children, when Mr. Samsa tries to bombard him to with apples. She also makes an effort to clean his room when
she sees that Grete is not doing his room justice. When Gregor dies, Mrs. Samsa is grieved. Her character remains unchanged,
because she genuinely cares about Gregor until his death. Unlike her husband and daughter, Mrs. Samsa isn’t repulsed
by Gregor as much as she feels sorry for him. He’s still her son, and she continues trying to act as a mother to him.
She is the one Gregor cares the most for before he dies.
Grete Samsa is Gregor’s younger sister. She is the one in the family that seems to love Gregor the most. After
his transformation, Grete still shows her love for Gregor by feeding him and visiting him every day. However, towards the
end of the story, Grete undergoes a transformation herself. She becomes convinced that Gregor will never become a human again,
and her love for him suddenly evaporates. She grows tired of taking care of him. It is she who wants to get rid of him in
the end. Grete had only been appreciated by her parents once she was needed. Prior to Gregor’s transformation, Grete
had been the underdog when compared to Gregor. Her parents saw her as futile because while Gregor worked, she did nothing.
Now that Gregor was incompetent himself, Grete wants to prove to her parents that she isn’t simply a worthless child.
It isn’t until Gregor’s death, though, that they begin to concentrate on her.
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