The Metamorphosis: Difference between revisions

Gregor's father more less plays the role of dictator in the story and this is due to his hostilities and interpersonal power dynamics in the family, This is evident with passages such as, "His father looked hostile and clenched a fist as if to force Gregory back into his room;" (1973). With Gregor single handedly maintaining the well being of the family his father is obviously a defeated man who is in a very unhealthy state. A man in which critic Jesse Lichtenstein suggests that recent business failure has seemingly sapped his vitality, and that he finds new confidence and better posture once the economic necessity engendered by Gregor's misfortune forces him to work again (Lichtenstein). In fact, with the story being arranged in three sections, two of the three end in chaos with violence inflicted upon Gregor from his father. As suggested by writer Johannes Pfeiffer, “the first brought about by the arrival of the chief clerk, ends with the father using his stick and newspaper to drive the monster his son has become back into his room (1975); the second, set in motion by the clearing out of the furniture, ends with the brutal bombardment of the son with apples” (1987) (Pfeiffer 53). This just goes to show that Gregor’s father wasn’t the most desirable father to have.