This entire story revolves around conflicts between Gregor
and his environment.
In Gregor vs nature, the primary
example is when Gregor is turned into a giant cockroach-like insect. Besides his
appearance, human food stops appealing to him, he cannot sleep unless hiding, he cannot
maneuver doors and door knobs, and his ability to speak
disappears.
Gregor vs self is seen as he battles with
himself to continue working at a job he hates. His hours are long, he travels a great
deal, and he is unable to have much of a personal life. Yet he continues to go to work
because his income is needed at home. His personal sense of alienation from the family
may be symbolized in his transition into a disgusting creature who does not
belong.
The final conflict, and the most daunting for the
character of Gregor (I think) is man vs man (person). Gregor's changed appearance
disgusts everyone: his boss flees the apartment, his father tries to kill him, his
sister ultimately rejects him (as do the tenants), his mother cannot bear to look at
him, and even the cleaning lady becomes abusive.
Another
form of this kind of conflict is the change that Gregor sees in his family. As long as
he is able to provide financially for a family, none of whom work, Gregor is
tolerated—even before his transformation. His family would probably find a way to live
with him as a bug if he could still go to work and pay for them to live their lives of
leisure.
Once Gregor is of no value to the others, he is
longer accepted by them, and his complete sense of worthlessness (man vs. self) drives
Gregor to stop eating, and in essence, commit suicide and die.
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