🐛 The Metamorphosis
One morning, Gregor Samsa woke up from a troubled dream. He found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his hard shell, and when he raised his head, he saw his brown belly divided into arched segments. His many legs waved helplessly before him.
"What has happened to me?" he thought. It was no dream. His room was the same—small, familiar, with pictures on the walls. He was a traveling salesman. He hated his job but had to work to support his family. His parents owed money to his boss. He had to pay their debts.
His mother knocked on his door. "Gregor, it's almost seven o'clock. Aren't you going to work?" He tried to answer, but his voice was strange. It sounded like an animal's cry. His father knocked too. Then his sister Grete called softly. He tried to get out of bed, but his new body would not obey. His legs would not hold him.
The chief clerk from his office came to see why he was late. Gregor managed to unlock the door with his mouth. When they saw him, his mother screamed. The chief clerk ran away. His father chased him back into his room with a cane.
Gregor was injured. A piece of glass stuck in his back. For the first time, he had nothing to eat. Grete brought him food. She left a bowl of milk, which he used to love. But he did not like it now. He preferred rotting food—old cheese, spoiled vegetables.
Weeks passed. Gregor learned to move around his room—on the walls, on the ceiling. He could not work. His family had to find jobs. His father became a bank messenger. His mother sewed for a clothing store. Grete worked as a salesgirl. They rented rooms to three lodgers.
Gregor's family grew distant. They stopped talking to him. His room became a storage place for useless things. They forgot to bring him food. He grew weak and thin.
One evening, Grete played the violin for the lodgers. Gregor was drawn to the music. He crawled out of his room. The lodgers saw him and were horrified. They said they would not pay rent. Grete said, "We must get rid of it. If it were Gregor, he would have left long ago. But this is not Gregor."
Gregor went back to his room. He felt empty. He thought of his family with love. Then his head fell to the floor. He died.
When the cleaning woman found him, his family felt a strange relief. They took a day off from work. They went for a walk in the countryside. They talked about their future. They decided to move to a smaller apartment. They thought about Grete, who had grown into a beautiful young woman. They would find her a good husband.
Moral of the story: Alienation and isolation can destroy a person. The story explores themes of identity, family obligation, and the dehumanizing effects of modern life.