Did you understand a single word of that?

Man, this novella was great. It tells you to accept the premise and takes you on a ride through grief and rumination.

Gregor is like many of us when life comes at you fast. Many don’t accept reality right away, whether it’s a layoff, losing a friend or family member, or simply getting injured and not having the same mobility as before.

What becomes of an identity when you no longer provide? How do you reconcile that perhaps your family didn’t need you to provide and that the stories you’ve been telling yourself have only made your work experience miserable?

If I didn’t have to exercise restraint for the sake of my parents, then I would have quit a long time ago;

There is a lot of thought on instinct and being our true selves as well. Gregor is most adept in his new body when he stops thinking and leads with his body and intention.

There are thoughts about being useful. The little sister, Grete, goes from being a background character to being life support for her brother as she becomes the roach whisperer.

She takes ownership of taking care of him, while at the same time she doesn’t accept the reality, as she doesn’t address or confront Gregor while she cleans the room and feeds him.

There’s also a bit of classism and snobbery as the 3 guests later on become disappointed that Grete cannot perform the violin well. Why they would expect any skill or bravery from one’s intimate practice in their own home is beyond me, but this glimmer of life in the house via music is violated as her parents push her to perform to please the guests.

Gregor is of course pleased, and he falls into a trance of the past’s dreams of what could have been, taking his sister to the conservatory and getting praised for providing.

Could he be an animal, to be so moved by music?

It’s only when Grete has had enough, faces her inner conflicts about helping upkeep the monster, and decides to move on with their lives that she makes the call.

We have to try to get rid of it… therein lies the source of our misfortune.

The family moves on and makes a bunch of decisions they’ve been meaning to make to improve their lives.

But surely, after exercising some agency, they begin dreaming again, wanting, and the same patterns that made them reliant on Gregor begin budding as the parents look toward Grete to marry her off and improve their lives.