When you first begin to read The Metamorphosis, we seemed to be dropped in media res. Gregor Samsa just is a giant bug--we don't get any lead up to a potential transformation or hints of witchcraft, but just a comment on how Gregor's night sleep was troubling. This interesting decision on where to begin the story is important, as we really learn a lot more about Gregor based on how he's reacting to the situation. Essentially, he knows no more than the readers do about what's happened to him; it's also interesting that we'll be picking up more background as Gregor does about his bug condition.
Gregor's initial reaction is not what I would have expected. He describes his errant limbs and toughened body very matter-of-factly, and doesn't seem to panic. Instead, he focuses on the plight of his job and how he's missed the five-o'clock train, which therefore puts him in a position of being late. Honestly, I highly doubt that anyone that was even remotely on the same page with the gravity of such a transformation wouldn't focus on something so trivial. Oh, wait--but I'm considering it trivial. Clearly being late and not showing up to work at all is something that weighs on Gregor's mind, which lets the readers know where his priorities lie.
Relating to this, an interesting viewpoint/observation was brought up in the discussion of yesterday's class. If not missing work has a bigger impact on Gregor's thought process than his being transformed into a giant insect, what does that tell us? Someone said that he clearly had a lot to sustain; he's paying back his parents debts (the fact of which is, uh, awkwardly juxtaposed with how lavish the father's meals are, but I digress). We also get a glimpse of Gregor getting angry as how his boss seems to use all of the subordinates as pawns, and made a someone pathetic comment about gettin' the ol' boss back in five years or so... And from this, the best positive attitude I can use is "diligent." He's already been working for so long, and he's fully prepared and dedicated to finishing what he needs to do. So that's good?
Another interesting comment that was made was that Gregor was basically a suck-up. Even in his present (horrifying) state, he still makes an extreme effort to explain himself to the chief and assure him that his claims were unjustly made. What stood out to me most in this vein was how it was implied that he was even happy when his father didn't keep swinging the walking-stick at him as he was attempting to turn around. I found that very, very unsettling how out-of-place Gregor's mindset seemed to be with how people were perceiving the situation. There's nothing that actually indicates to the others that this massive organism was Gregor, and he knew that his voice didn't sound right to them. The way he was responding during that little back and forth was definitely baffling.
It's amazing how much was actually revealed or alluded to about Gregor just from the first few scenes we've read thus far. He's a little mind-boggling, not inherently interesting, and aloof. I'm excited to see where his characterization goes as we continue!
