Discussion for Kafka's The Metamorphosis (Ch. 2

Discussion Question #1 for Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (1915, Ch. 2 - to the end, pp. 762-782)

1.

What does Gregor overhear about his family's financial situation at this point (after his metamorphosis)? Where did Gregor's wage (the product of his labor) go and why did he keep only a few dollars for himself? Why do you think Gregor's father never told Gregor about the money he was able to save after his business bankruptcy? How would you characterize Gregor's father? 

2.

What does Gregor's father worry about after Gregor's metamorphosis? Why does Gregor's father roll apples toward Gregor, and how does Gregor feel about his father? Does his father care about Gregor? Where does Gregor's father now work? Why does he refuse to take off his uniform and how does he feel about his job and working hours (773)? How does Gregor feel about his family's treatment of him after his metamorphosis and why does he hardly eat anymore?

3.

Gregor can still hear what the manager says about Gregor, but the manager cannot understand the words Gregor speaks (even before his transformation, "his boss's being hard of hearing" 754). Similarly, Gregor can still hear what his parents and sister say, but they cannot hear what he says: "No pleas of Gregor's helped, no plea was even understood; however humbly he might turn his head, his father merely stamped his feet more forcefully" (761). What do you think Kafka is trying to convey through this situation? How does Gregor's father react to Gregor's transformation? Does his father worry about Gregor's well-being? Does Kafka depict any similarities between the office manager and Gregor's father when they find out Gregor's changed body into a giant beetle?