For Gregor, when he “woke up...from unsettling dreams,” he realized that he was no longer a normal person, but a “monstrous vermin " (Kafka 4). His dilemma resembles that of anyone who suffers from an illness or disability, particularly ones that are noticeable or disfiguring. People are often seen as their physical or mental abilities rather than their personality or potential. For example, Gregor was reduced to nothing more than an “armor plate” with “pitifully thin” legs, despite the fact that he was a loving son and brother. After all, he was the breadwinner of his family for years. Becoming this “monstrous vermin” made it practically impossible for Gregor to do simple tasks such as getting out of bed. People who differ from the social norms are often made outcasts by society. In the metamorphosis, Gregor was shunned by his family as well as the others whom he encountered after his transformation (ie. the borders).
In chapter 2, the shift that Gregor experience is from a manoeuvrable state (when he first turns into a bug) to a serious physical unmobile state. “His left side felt like one single long unpleasant tautening scar,” which unables him from doing simple things like moving around and hiding underneath the sofa. “He had to limp on his two rows of legs,” the fact that he had this disability occurred to him made him realize how much he needs his legs,at the beginning of the book when Gregor is turned into a bug he shows no appreciation towards his multiple legs. Kafka wrote that it “was almost a miracle that only one had been injured” and that the rest where mobile, showing the great appreciation Gregor learned to give to his mobile legs. (Kafka 20)
In chapter 3, Gregor shifts from a mobile state (in the beginning of the book) to a more sickly state where he cannot perform daily life functions. The apple symbolizes the start of his downfall because it hinders his abilities to even eat, let alone walk. Kafka tells the reader that Gregor...