In Defense of Gregor Samsa (The Metamorphosis Analysis)

Gregor’s Family is responsible for the wrongful death of Gregor from the short story “Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka.  Metamorphosis is about Gregor, who when he wakes up has been turned into a bug. After his family finds out he is slowly treated worse until he ends up dying. Gregor's family is responsible for the wrongful death of Gregor by showing negligence, breach of duty, and causing damages. 

First, Gregor’s family is responsible for his death because they showed negligence towards him. This can be shown when Gregor's sister “now kicked some food or other very quickly into his room in the morning and at noon… and in the evening, quite indifferent about whether the food had perhaps only been tasted or, what happened most frequently, remained entirely undisturbed, she whisked it out with one sweep of her broom.”(Kafka 168). This shows that Gregor’s sister did not care whether he ate the food or not, showing negligence towards Gregor.  Negligence in the case of wrongful death is failure to behave reasonably. This can be shown from an article by attorneys at Schauermann Thayer who says negligence is “the failure to behave with a level of care that a reasonable person would exercise in a similar circumstance.” ( Negligence And Fault In Wrongful Death Cases 7).  Clearly, Gregor's sister Grete did not behave with this level of care when she quickly dropped food in the morning and whisked it away at night without seeing if Gregor had eaten it.  This is how Gregor’s sister Grete showed negligence in the case of Gregor’s death.

Second, Gregor's father is also responsible for the wrongful death of Gregor. He assaulted Gregor with apples, and one of the apples got lodged in Gregor's side and was never removed, further harming Gregor.  Gregor’s current condition with the apple stuck in his back towards the end of the book is stated as, “The rotten apple in his back and the inflamed surrounding area, entirely covered with white dust”(Kafka 176). This shows how Gregor has been neglected by his father after assaulting him with apples, and further leading to Gregor's decline in health. This can also be shown as negligence in a court case because the law is described as “Wrongful death actions can occur due to a person's negligent or reckless actions, or even from an intentional action, such as an assault.”(Wrongful Death Faqs In Washington And Oregon 3).  This shows that Greegors father can be responsible for wrongful death because of assaulting Gregor, and also being negligent towards Gregor’s condition after assaulting him. Gregor’s father is also responsible for Gregor’s death because of the assault and negligence he showed Gregor.

Finally, Gregor’s family showed no shame or remorse for what they were doing to Gregor. This can be shown by the father assaulting him with apples, his sister not feeding him properly and the family not showing sympathy. All of these points show how little his family cares for him. And doesn't want to help him. In Brené Brown’s TED talk, The Power of Vulnerability, she talks about how “The only people who don’t experience shame have no capacity for human empathy or connection”(Brown 4:43). This quote shows how Gregor's family no longer has the ability to empathize with Gregor. And does not treat him as a reasonable person should. That leads to Gregor’s Family doing horrible things to Gregor and not attempting to help him afterward. This eventually leads to Gregor’s death, and causes that family to be responsible for it.

All in all, Gregor's family is responsible for the wrongful death of Gregor. This is shown by the lack of empathy they demonstrate throughout the story. He is assaulted, underfed, and neglected. Gregor’s family fails to act as a reasonable person should, and this is why they are responsible for Gregor's death.

Works Cited

Brown, Brené. "Transcript Of "The Power Of Vulnerability"". Ted.Com, 2021, https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability/transcript#t-299944. Accessed 8 Oct 2021.

Kafka, Franz. “The Metamorphosis.” My Perspectives, Savvas Learning Company, 2017, pp. 137-179

"Negligence And Fault In Wrongful Death Cases | Schauermann Thayer | Washington & Oregon Injury Attorneys". Washingtonoregonlawyers.Com, 2021, https://www.washingtonoregonlawyers.com/negligence-and-fault-in-wrongful-death#:~:text=Negligence%20is%20the%20failure%20to,mistake%20made%20by%20another%20person. Accessed 8 Oct 2021.

"Wrongful Death Faqs In Washington And Oregon | Schauermann Thayer | Washington & Oregon Injury Attorneys". Washingtonoregonlawyers.Com, 2021, https://www.washingtonoregonlawyers.com/wrongful-death-faqs-in-washington-and-oregon. Accessed 8 Oct 2021.