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Franz Kafka!!!
Character Analysis

Major Characters

Gregor Samsa
Gregor is the main character of the story. He works hard as a traveling salesman to provide for his sister and parents. He wakes up one morning as a giant insect. At the start of the novella he appears to be a very shallow character and only do things (like work) to provide for his family. However, as the novella continues he transforms into a creature that has much deeper psychological connections and is able to love. Grete Samsa
Grete is Gregor's younger sister, who becomes his caretaker after the metamorphosis. At the beginning of the novella Grete and Gregor have a strong relationship but as the story progress there bond starts to diminish. While Grete originally volunteers to feed him and clean his room, throughout the story she grows more and more impatient with the task to the point of deliberately leaving messes in his room out of spite. She plays the violin and dreams of going to the conservatorium, a dream that Gregor was going to make come true. To help provide an income for the family after Gregor's transformation she starts working as a salesgirl in a shop. She seems more sympathetic at the beginning but with the passage of time her feelings fade away.
Herr Samsa
Gregor's father, he is lazy, old, and owes a large debt to Gregor's boss, which is why Gregor can't quit his hated job. However after Gregor's metamorphosis, when Gregor is unable to provide for the family, Herr is able to get a job and support the family. In the beginning of the novella we think that Herr is simply not able to work and that is why Gregor supports the family, however we find out later that he is in fact able to work and this questions how respectable of a character he really is.
Frau Samsa
Gregor's mother is a nervous housewife. She faints or nearly faints every time she sees Gregor, although she tries to defend him from her husband's harsh treatment. She is conflicted between trying to love her son again despite the fact that he is an insect.
Tenants
Three tenants are invited to live with the Samsas to increase their income. They are fussy and cannot stand dirtiness, eventually leading to the point when they discover Gregor and threaten the family with a lawsuit, apparently believing he's just an extraordinarily large insect.

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