The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: Nalanda Digital Library Nit Calicut, Kerala, India

THE METAMORPHOSIS
by Franz Kafka
NALANDA DIGITAL LIBRARY
NIT CALICUT , KERALA , INDIA
http:/ / www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in
The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka from Nalanda Digital Library
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I
One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up
from anxious dreams, he discovered t hat in bed he
had been changed int o a monst rous verminous bug.
He lay on his armour- hard back and saw, as he
lift ed his head up a lit t le, his brown, arched
abdomen divided up int o rigid bow- like sect ions.
From t his height t he blanket , j ust about ready t o
slide off complet ely, could hardly st ay in place. His
numerous legs, pit ifully t hin in comparison t o t he
rest of his circumference, flickered helplessly before
his eyes.
"What ' s happened t o me, " he t hought . I t was no
dream. His room, a proper room for a human being,
only somewhat t oo small, lay quiet ly bet ween t he
four well- known walls. Above t he t able, on which an
unpacked collect ion of sample clot h goods was
spread out ( Samsa was a t raveling salesman) hung
t he pict ure which he had cut out of an illust rat ed
magazine a lit t le while ago and set in a pret t y gilt
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frame. I t was a pict ure of a woman wit h a fur hat
and a fur boa. She sat erect t here, lift ing up in t he
direct ion of t he viewer a solid fur muff int o which
her ent ire forearm disappeared.
Gregor ' s glance t hen t urned t o t he window. The
dreary weat her ( t he rain drops were falling audibly
down on t he met al window ledge) made him quit e
melancholy. " Why don' t I keep sleeping for a lit t le
while longer and forget all t his foolishness, " he
t hought . But t his was ent irely impract ical, for he
was used t o sleeping on his right side, and in his
present st at e he couldn' t get himself int o t his
posit ion. No mat t er how hard he t hrew himself ont o
his right side, he always rolled again ont o his back.
He must have t ried it a hundred t imes, closing his
eyes, so t hat he would not have t o see t he wriggling
legs, and gave up only when he began t o feel a
light , dull pain in his side which he had never felt
before.
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"O God, " he t hought , "what a demanding j ob
I ' ve chosen! Day in, day out on t he road. The
st resses of t rade are much great er t han t he work
going on at head office, and, in addit ion t o t hat , I
have t o deal wit h t he problems of t raveling, t he
worries about t rain connect ions, irregular bad food,
t emporary and const ant ly changing human
relat ionships which never come from t he heart . To
hell wit h it all! " He felt a slight it ching on t he t op of
his abdomen. He slowly pushed himself on his back
closer t o t he bed post so t hat he could lift his head
more easily, found t he it chy part , which was ent irely
covered wit h small whit e spot s ( he did not know
what t o make of t hem) , and want ed t o feel t he place
wit h a leg. But he ret ract ed it immediat ely, for t he
cont act felt like a cold shower all over him.
He slid back again int o his earlier posit ion. "This
get t ing up early, " he t hought , "makes a man quit e
idiot ic. A man must have his sleep. Ot her t raveling
salesmen live like harem women. For inst ance,
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when I come back t o t he inn during t he course of
t he morning t o writ e up t he necessary orders, t hese
gent lemen are j ust sit t ing down t o breakfast . I f I
were t o t ry t hat wit h my boss, I ' d be t hrown out on
t he spot . St ill, who knows whet her t hat might n' t be
really good for me. I f I didn' t hold back for my
parent s' sake, I would' ve quit ages ago. I would' ve
gone t o t he boss and t old him j ust what I t hink from
t he bot t om of my heart . He would' ve fallen right off
his desk! How weird it is t o sit up at t he desk and
t alk down t o t he employee from way up t here. The
boss has t rouble hearing, so t he employee has t o
st ep up quit e close t o him. Anyway, I haven' t
complet ely given up t hat hope yet . Once I ' ve got
t oget her t he money t o pay off t he parent s' debt t o
him- - t hat should t ake anot her five or six years- - I ' ll
do it for sure. Then I ' ll make t he big break. I n any
case, right now I have t o get up. My t rain leaves at
five o' clock. "
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And he looked over at t he alarm clock t icking
away by t he chest of drawers. "Good God, " he
t hought . I t was half past six, and t he hands were
going quiet ly on. I t was past t he half hour, already
nearly quart er t o. Could t he alarm have failed t o
ring? One saw from t he bed t hat it was properly set
for four o' clock. Cert ainly it had rung. Yes, but was
it possible t o sleep t hrough t his noise t hat made t he
furnit ure shake? Now, it ' s t rue he' d not slept quiet ly,
but evident ly he' d slept all t he more deeply. St ill,
what should he do now? The next t rain left at seven
o' clock. To cat ch t hat one, he would have t o go in a
mad rush. The sample collect ion wasn' t packed up
yet , and he really didn' t feel part icularly fresh and
act ive. And even if he caught t he t rain, t here was no
avoiding a blow up wit h t he boss, because t he
firm' s errand boy would' ve wait ed for t he five
o' clock t rain and report ed t he news of his absence
long ago. He was t he boss' s minion, wit hout
backbone or int elligence. Well t hen, what if he
report ed in sick? But t hat would be ext remely
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embarrassing and suspicious, because during his
five years' service Gregor hadn' t been sick even
once. The boss would cert ainly come wit h t he
doct or from t he healt h insurance company and
would reproach his parent s for t heir lazy son and
cut short all obj ect ions wit h t he insurance doct or' s
comment s; for him everyone was complet ely
healt hy but really lazy about work. And besides,
would t he doct or in t his case be t ot ally wrong?
Apart from a really excessive drowsiness aft er t he
long sleep, Gregor in fact felt quit e well and even
had a really st rong appet it e.
As he was t hinking all t his over in t he great est
hast e, wit hout being able t o make t he decision t o
get out of bed ( t he alarm clock was indicat ing
exact ly quart er t o seven) t here was a caut ious
knock on t he door by t he head of t he bed.
"Gregor, " a voice called ( it was his mot her! ) "it ' s
quart er t o seven. Don' t you want t o be on your
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way?" The soft voice! Gregor was st art led when he
heard his voice answering. I t was clearly and
unmist akably his earlier voice, but in it was
int ermingled, as if from below, an irrepressibly
painful squeaking which left t he words posit ively
dist inct only in t he first moment and dist ort ed t hem
in t he reverberat ion, so t hat one didn' t know if one
had heard correct ly. Gregor want ed t o answer in
det ail and explain everyt hing, but in t hese
circumst ances he confined himself t o saying, "Yes,
yes, t hank you mot her. I ' m get t ing up right away. "
Because of t he wooden door t he change in Gregor' s
voice was not really not iceable out side, so his
mot her calmed down wit h t his explanat ion and
shuffled off. However, as a result of t he short
conversat ion t he ot her family members became
aware of t he fact t hat Gregor was unexpect edly st ill
at home, and already his fat her was knocking on
one side door, weakly but wit h his fist . "Gregor,
Gregor, " he called out , "what ' s going on?" And aft er
a short while he urged him on again in a deeper
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voice. "Gregor! " Gregor! " At t he ot her side door,
however, his sist er knocked light ly. "Gregor? Are
you all right ? Do you need anyt hing?" Gregor
direct ed answers in bot h direct ions, "I ' ll be ready
right away. " He made an effort wit h t he most
careful art iculat ion and by insert ing long pauses
bet ween t he individual words t o remove everyt hing
remarkable from his voice. His fat her t urned back
t o his breakfast . However, t he sist er whispered,
"Gregor, open t he door, I beg you. " Gregor had no
int ent ion of opening t he door, but congrat ulat ed
himself on his precaut ion, acquired from t raveling,
of locking all doors during t he night , even at home.
First he want ed t o st and up quiet ly and
undist urbed, get dr essed, above all have breakfast ,
and only t hen consider furt her act ion, for ( he
not iced t his clearly) by t hinking t hings over in bed
he would not reach a reasonable conclusion. He
remember ed t hat he had already oft en felt a light
pain or ot her in bed, perhaps t he result of an
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awkward lying posit ion, which lat er t urned out t o be
purely imaginary when he st ood up, and he was
eager t o see how his present fant asies would
gradually dissipat e. That t he change in his voice was
not hing ot her t han t he onset of a real chill, an
occupat ional illness of commercial t ravelers, of t hat
he had not t he slight est doubt .
I t was very easy t o t hrow aside t he blanket . He
needed only t o push himself up a lit t le, and it fell
by it self. But t o cont inue was difficult , part icularly
because he was so unusually wide. He needed arms
and hands t o push himself upright . I nst ead of
t hese, however, he had only many small limbs
which were incessant ly moving wit h very different
mot ions and which, in addit ion, he was unable t o
cont rol. I f he want ed t o bend one of t hem, t hen it
was t he first t o ext end it self, and if he finally
succeeded doing wit h t his limb what he want ed, in
t he meant ime all t he ot hers, as if left free, moved
around in an excessively painful agit at ion. " But I
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must not st ay in bed uselessly, " said Gregor t o
himself.
At first he want ed t o get of t he bed wit h t he
lower part of his body, but t his lower part ( which he
incident ally had not yet looked at and which he also
couldn' t pict ure clearly) proved it self t oo difficult t o
move. The at t empt went so slowly. When, having
become almost frant ic, he finally hurled himself
forward wit h all his force and wit hout t hinking, he
chose his direct ion incorrect ly, and he hit t he lower
bedpost hard. The violent pain he felt revealed t o
him t hat t he lower part of his body was at t he
moment probably t he most sensit ive.
Thus, he t ried t o get his upper body out of t he
bed first and t urned his head carefully t oward t he
edge of t he bed. He managed t o do t his easily, and
in spit e of it s widt h and weight his body mass at
last slowly followed t he t urning of his head. But as
he finally raised his head out side t he bed in t he
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open air, he became anxious about moving forward
any furt her in t his manner, for if he allowed himself
event ually t o fall by t his process, it would t ake a
miracle t o prevent his head from get t ing inj ured.
And at all cost s he must not lose consciousness
right now. He preferred t o remain in bed.
However, aft er a similar effort , while he lay
t here again sighing as before and once again saw
his small limbs fight ing one anot her, if anyt hing
worse t han before, and didn' t see any chance of
imposing quiet and order on t his arbit rary
movement , he t old himself again t hat he couldn' t
possibly remain in bed and t hat it might be t he
most reasonable t hing t o sacrifice everyt hing if
t here was even t he slight est hope of get t ing himself
out of bed in t he process. At t he same moment ,
however, he didn' t forget t o remind himself from
t ime t o t ime of t he fact t hat calm ( indeed t he
calmest ) reflect ion might be bet t er t han t he most
confused decisions. At such moment s, he direct ed
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his gaze as precisely as he could t oward t he
window, but unfort unat ely t here was lit t le confident
cheer t o be had from a glance at t he morning mist ,
which concealed even t he ot her side of t he narrow
st reet . "I t ' s already seven o' clock" he t old himself at
t he lat est st riking of t he alarm clock, "already
seven o' clock and st ill such a fog. " And for a lit t le
while longer he lay quiet ly wit h weak breat hing, as if
perhaps wait ing for normal and nat ural condit ions
t o re- emer ge out of t he complet e st illness.
But t hen he said t o himself, "Before it st rikes a
quart er past seven, what ever happens I must be
complet ely out of bed. Besides, by t hen someone
from t he office will arrive t o inquire about me,
because t he office will open before seven o' clock. "
And he made an effort t hen t o rock his ent ire body
lengt h out of t he bed wit h a uniform mot ion. I f he
let himself fall out of t he bed in t his way, his head,
which in t he course of t he fall he int ended t o lift up
sharply, would probably remain uninj ured. His back
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seemed t o be hard; not hing would really happen t o
t hat as a result of t he fall. His great est reservat ion
was a worry about t he loud noise which t he fall
must creat e and which presumably would arouse, if
not fright , t hen at least concern on t he ot her side of
all t he doors. However, it had t o be t ried.
As Gregor was in t he process of lift ing himself
half out of bed ( t he new met hod was more of a
game t han an effort ; he needed only t o rock wit h a
const ant rhyt hm) it st ruck him how easy all t his
would be if someone were t o come t o his aid. Two
st rong people ( he t hought of his fat her and t he
servant girl) would have been quit e sufficient . They
would have only had t o push t heir arms under his
arched back t o get him out of t he bed, t o bend down
wit h t heir load, and t hen merely t o exercise
pat ience and care t hat he complet ed t he flip ont o
t he floor, where his diminut ive legs would t hen, he
hoped, acquire a purpose. Now, quit e apart from
t he fact t hat t he doors were locked, should he really
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call out for help? I n spit e of all his dist ress, he was
unable t o suppress a smile at t his idea.
He had already got t o t he point where, wit h a
st ronger rocking, he maint ained his equilibrium
wit h difficult y, and very soon he would finally have
t o decide, for in five minut es it would be a quart er
past seven. Then t her e was a ring at t he door of
t he apart ment . "That ' s someone from t he office" he
t old himself, and he almost froze while his small
limbs only danced around all t he fast er. For one
moment everyt hing remained st ill. "They aren' t
opening, " Gregor said t o himself, caught up in
some absurd hope. But of course t hen, as usual, t he
servant girl wit h her firm t read went t o t he door
and opened it . Gregor needed t o hear only t he
visit or' s first word of greet ing t o recognize
immediat ely who it was, t he manager himself. Why
was Gregor t he only one condemned t o work in a
firm where at t he slight est lapse someone
immediat ely at t ract ed t he great est suspicion? Were
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all t he employees t hen collect ively, one and all,
scoundrels? Was t here t hen among t hem no t ruly
devot ed person who, if he failed t o use j ust a couple
of hours in t he morning for office work, would
become abnormal from pangs of conscience and
really be in no st at e t o get out of bed? Was it really
not enough t o let an apprent ice make inquiries, if
such quest ioning was even necessary? Must t he
manager himself come, and in t he process must it
be demonst rat ed t o t he ent ire innocent family t hat
t he invest igat ion of t his suspicious circumst ance
could only be ent rust ed t o t he int elligence of t he
manager? And more as a consequence of t he
excit ed st at e in which t his idea put Gregor t han as a
result of an act ual decision, he swung himself wit h
all his might out of t he bed. There was a loud t hud,
but not a real crash. The fall was absorbed
somewhat by t he carpet and, in addit ion, his back
was more elast ic t han Gregor had t hought . For t hat
reason t he dull noise was not quit e so conspicuous.
But he had not held his head up wit h sufficient care
17
and had hit it . He t urned his head, irrit at ed and in
pain, and rubbed it on t he carpet .
"Somet hing has fallen in t here, " said t he
manager in t he next room on t he left . Gregor t ried
t o imagine t o himself whet her anyt hing similar t o
what was happening t o him t oday could have also
happened at some point t o t he manager. At least
one had t o concede t he possibilit y of such a t hing.
However, as if t o give a rough answer t o t his
quest ion, t he manager now t ook a few det ermined
st eps in t he next room, wit h a squeak of his
polished boot s. From t he neighbouring room on t he
right t he sist er was whispering t o inform Gregor:
"Gregor, t he manager is here. " "I know, " said
Gregor t o himself. But he did not dare make his
voice loud enough so t hat his sist er could hear.
"Gregor, " his fat her now said from t he
neighbouring room on t he left , "Mr. Manager has
come and is asking why you have not left on t he
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early t rain. We don' t know what we should t ell him.
Besides, he also want s t o speak t o you personally.
So please open t he door. He will good enough t o
forgive t he mess in your room. "
I n t he middle of all t his, t he manager called out
in a friendly way, " Good morning, Mr. Samsa. " "He
is not well, " said his mot her t o t he manager, while
his fat her was st ill t alking at t he door, "He is not
well, believe me, Mr. Manager. Ot herwise how
would Gregor miss a t rain! The young man has
not hing in his head except business. I ' m almost
angry t hat he never goes out at night . Right now
he' s been in t he cit y eight days, but he' s been at
home every evening. He sit s t here wit h us at t he
t able and reads t he newspaper quiet ly or st udies his
t ravel schedules. I t ' s a quit e a diversion for him if
he busies himself wit h fret work. For inst ance, he
cut out a small frame over t he course of t wo or
t hree evenings. You' d be amazed how pret t y it is.
I t ' s hanging right inside t he room. You' ll see it
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immediat ely, as soon as Gregor opens t he door.
Anyway, I ' m happy t hat you' re here, Mr. Manager.
By ourselves, we would never have made Gregor
open t he door. He' s so st ubborn, and he' s cert ainly
not well, alt hough he denied t hat t his morning. "
"I ' m coming right away, " said Gregor slowly and
deliberat ely and didn' t move, so as not t o lose one
word of t he conversat ion. "My dear lady, I cannot
explain it t o myself in any ot her way, " said t he
manager; "I hope it is not hing serious. On t he ot her
hand, I must also say t hat we business people,
luckily or unluckily, however one looks at it , very
oft en simply have t o overcome a slight indisposit ion
for business reasons. " "So can Mr. Manager come in
t o see you now" asked his fat her impat ient ly and
knocked once again on t he door. "No, " said Gregor.
I n t he neighbouring room on t he left a painful
st illness descended. I n t he neighbouring room on
t he right t he sist er began t o sob.
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Why didn' t his sist er go t o t he ot hers? She' d
probably j ust got t en up out of bed now and hadn' t
even st art ed t o get dr essed yet . Then why was she
crying? Because he wasn' t get t ing up and wasn' t
let t ing t he manager in; because he was in danger
of losing his posit ion, and because t hen his boss
would badger his parent s once again wit h t he old
demands? Those were probably unnecessary worries
right now. Gregor was st ill here and wasn' t t hinking
at all about abandoning his family. At t he moment
he was lying right t here on t he carpet , and no one
who knew about his condit ion would' ve seriously
demanded t hat he let t he manager in. But Gregor
wouldn' t be casually dismissed right way because of
t his small discourt esy, for which he would find an
easy and suit able excuse lat er on. I t seemed t o
Gregor t hat it might be far more reasonable t o
leave him in peace at t he moment , inst ead of
dist urbing him wit h crying and conversat ion. But it
was t he very uncert aint y which dist ressed t he
ot hers and excused t heir behaviour.
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"Mr. Samsa, " t he manager was now shout ing,
his voice raised, "what ' s t he mat t er? You are
barricading yourself in your room, answer wit h only
a yes and a no, are making serious and
unnecessary t roubles for your parent s, and
neglect ing ( I ment ion t his only incident ally) your
commercial dut ies in a t ruly unheard of manner. I
am speaking here in t he name of your parent s and
your employer, and I am request ing you in all
seriousness for an immediat e and clear explanat ion.
I am amazed. I am amazed. I t hought I knew you
as a calm, reasonable person, and now you appear
suddenly t o want t o st art parading around in weird
moods. The Chief indicat ed t o me earlier t his very
day a possible explanat ion for your neglect - - it
concerned t he collect ion of cash ent rust ed t o you a
short while ago- - but in t rut h I almost gave him my
word of honour t hat t his explanat ion could not be
correct . However, now I see here your unimaginable
pig headedness, and I am t ot ally losing any desire
22
t o speak up for you in t he slight est . And your
posit ion is not at all t he most secure. Originally I
int ended t o ment ion all t his t o you privat ely, but
since you are let t ing me wast e my t ime here
uselessly, I don' t know why t he mat t er shouldn' t
come t o t he at t ent ion of your parent s. Your
product ivit y has also been very unsat isfact ory
recent ly. Of course, it ' s not t he t ime of year t o
conduct except ional business, we recognize t hat ,
but a t ime of year for conduct ing no business, t here
is no such t hing at all, Mr. Samsa, and such a t hing
must never be. "
"But Mr. Manager, " called Gregor, beside himself
and in his agit at ion forget t ing everyt hing else, "I ' m
opening t he door immediat ely, t his very moment . A
slight indisposit ion, a dizzy spell, has prevent ed me
from get t ing up. I ' m st ill lying in bed right now. But
now I ' m quit e refreshed once again. I ' m in t he midst
of get t ing out of bed. Just have pat ience for a short
moment ! Things are not going so well as I t hought .
23
But t hings are all right . How suddenly t his can
overcome someone! Just yest erday evening
everyt hing was fine wit h me. My parent s cert ainly
know t hat . Act ually j ust yest erday evening I had a
small premonit ion. People must have seen t hat in
me. Why have I not report ed t hat t o t he office! But
people always t hink t hat t hey' ll get over sickness
wit hout having t o st ay at home. Mr. Manager! Take
it easy on my parent s! There is really no basis for
t he crit icisms which you are now making against
me, and really nobody has said a word t o me about
t hat . Perhaps you have not read t he lat est order s
which I shipped. Besides, now I ' m set t ing out on
my t rip on t he eight o' clock t rain; t he few hours'
rest have made me st ronger. Mr. Manager, do not
st ay. I will be at t he office in person right away.
Please have t he goodness t o say t hat and t o convey
my respect s t o t he Chief. "
While Gregor was quickly blurt ing all t his out ,
hardly aware of what he was saying, he had moved
24
close t o t he chest of drawers wit hout effort ,
probably as a result of t he pract ice he had already
had in bed, and now he was t rying t o raise himself
up on it . Act ually, he want ed t o open t he door; he
really want ed t o let himself be seen by and t o
speak wit h t he manager. He was keen t o wit ness
what t he ot hers now asking aft er him would say at
t he sight of him. I f t hey were st art led, t hen Gregor
had no more responsibilit y and could be calm. But if
t hey accept ed everyt hing quiet ly, t hen he would
have no reason t o get excit ed and, if he got a move
on, could really be at t he st at ion around eight
o' clock. At first he slid down a few t imes from t he
smoot h chest of drawers. But at last he gave
himself a final swing and st ood upright t here. He
was no longer at all aware of t he pains in his lower
body, no mat t er how t hey might st ill st ing. Now he
let himself fall against t he back of a nearby chair, on
t he edge of which he braced himself wit h his t hin
limbs. By doing t his he gained cont rol over himself
and kept quiet , for he could now hear t he manager.
25
"Did you underst ood a single word?" t he
manager asked t he parent s, "I s he playing t he fool
wit h us?" "For God' s sake, " cried t he mot her already
in t ears, "perhaps he' s very ill and we' re upset t ing
him. Gret e! Gret e! " she yelled at t hat point .
"Mot her?" called t he sist er from t he ot her side. They
were making t hemselves underst ood t hrough
Gregor ' s room. "You must go t o t he doct or right
away. Gregor is sick. Hurry t o t he doct or. Have you
heard Gregor speak yet ?" "That was an animal' s
voice, " said t he manager, remarkably quiet ly in
comparison t o t he mot her' s cries.
"Anna! Anna! ' yelled t he fat her t hrough t he hall
int o t he kit chen, clapping his hands, "fet ch a
locksmit h right away! " The t wo young women were
already running t hrough t he hall wit h swishing
skirt s ( how had his sist er dressed herself so
quickly?) and yanked open t he doors of t he
apart ment . One couldn' t hear t he doors closing at
26
all. They probably had left t hem open, as is
cust omary in an apart ment in which a huge
misfort une has t aken place.
However, Gregor had become much calmer. All
right , people did not underst and his words any
more, alt hough t hey seemed clear enough t o him,
clearer t han previously, perhaps because his ears
had got t en used t o t hem. But at least people now
t hought t hat t hings were not all right wit h him and
were prepared t o help him. The confidence and
assurance wit h which t he first arrangement s had
been carried out made him feel good. He felt himself
included once again in t he circle of humanit y and
was expect ing from bot h t he doct or and t he
locksmit h, wit hout different iat ing bet ween t hem
wit h any real precision, splendid and surprising
result s. I n order t o get as clear a voice as possible
for t he crit ical conversat ion which was imminent , he
coughed a lit t le, and cert ainly t ook t he t rouble t o
do t his in a really subdued way, since it was possible
27
t hat even t his noise sounded like somet hing
different from a human cough. He no longer t rust ed
himself t o decide any more. Meanwhile in t he next
room it had become really quiet . Perhaps his
parent s were sit t ing wit h t he manager at t he t able
and were whispering; perhaps t hey were all leaning
against t he door and list ening.
Gregor pushed himself slowly t owards t he door,
wit h t he help of t he easy chair, let go of it t here,
t hrew himself against t he door, held himself upright
against it ( t he balls of his t iny limbs had a lit t le
st icky st uff on t hem) , and rest ed t here moment arily
from his exert ion. Then he made an effort t o t urn
t he key in t he lock wit h his mout h. Unfort unat ely it
seemed t hat he had no real t eet h. How t hen was he
t o grab hold of t he key? But t o make up for t hat his
j aws were nat urally very st rong; wit h t heir help he
managed t o get t he key really moving, and he did
not not ice t hat he was obviously inflict ing some
damage on himself, for a brown fluid came out of
28
his mout h, flowed over t he key, and dripped ont o
t he floor.
"Just list en for a moment , " said t he manager in
t he next room, "he' s t urning t he key. " For Gregor
t hat was a great encouragement . But t hey all
should' ve called out t o him, including his fat her and
mot her, "Come on, Gregor, " t hey should' ve
shout ed, "keep going, keep working on t he lock. "
I magining t hat all his effort s were being followed
wit h suspense, he bit down frant ically on t he key
wit h all t he force he could must er. As t he key
t urned more, he danced around t he lock. Now he
was holding himself upright only wit h his mout h,
and he had t o hang ont o t he key or t hen press it
down again wit h t he whole weight of his body, as
necessary. The quit e dist inct click of t he lock as it
finally snapped really woke Gregor up. Breat hing
heavily he said t o himself, "So I didn' t need t he
locksmit h, " and he set his head against t he door
handle t o open t he door complet ely.
29
Because he had t o open t he door in t his way, it
was already open very wide wit hout him yet being
really visible. He first had t o t urn himself slowly
around t he edge of t he door, very carefully, of
course, if he did not want t o fall awkwardly on his
back right at t he ent rance int o t he room. He was
st ill preoccupied wit h t his difficult movement and
had no t ime t o pay at t ent ion t o anyt hing else, when
he heard t he manager exclaim a loud "Oh! " ( it
sounded like t he wind whist ling) , and now he saw
him, nearest t o t he door, pressing his hand against
his open mout h and moving slowly back, as if an
invisible const ant force was pushing him away. His
mot her ( in spit e of t he presence of t he manager she
was st anding here wit h her hair st icking up on end,
st ill a mess from t he night ) wit h her hands clasped
was looking at his fat her; she t hen went t wo st eps
t owards Gregor and collapsed right in t he middle of
her skirt s spreading out all around her, her face
sunk on her breast , complet ely concealed. His fat her
clenched his fist wit h a host ile expression, as if he
30
wished t o push Gregor back int o his room, t hen
looked uncert ainly around t he living room, covered
his eyes wit h his hands, and cried so t hat his
might y breast shook.
At t his point Gregor did not t ake one st ep int o
t he room, but leaned his body from t he inside
against t he firmly bolt ed wing of t he door, so t hat
only half his body was visible, as well as his head,
t it led sideways, wit h which he peeped over at t he
ot hers. Meanwhile it had become much bright er.
St anding out clearly from t he ot her side of t he
st reet was a part of t he endless gray- black house
sit uat ed opposit e ( it was a hospit al) wit h it s severe
regular windows breaking up t he facade. The rain
was st ill coming down, but only in large individual
drops visibly and firmly t hrown down one by one
ont o t he ground. The breakfast dishes were
st anding piled around on t he t able, because for his
fat her breakfast was t he most import ant meal t ime
in t he day, which he prolonged for hours by reading
31
various newspapers. Direct ly across on t he opposit e
wall hung a phot ograph of Gregor from t he t ime of
his milit ary service; it was a pict ure of him as a
lieut enant , as he, smiling and worry free, wit h his
hand on his sword, demanded r espect for his
bearing and uniform. The door t o t he hall was aj ar,
and since t he door t o t he apart ment was also open,
one saw out int o t he landing of t he apart ment and
t he st art of t he st aircase going down.
"Now, " said Gregor, well aware t hat he was t he
only one who had kept his composure. "I ' ll get
dressed right away, pack up t he collect ion of
samples, and set off. You' ll allow me t o set out on
my way, will you not ? You see, Mr. Manager, I am
not pig- headed, and I am happy t o work. Traveling
is exhaust ing, but I couldn' t live wit hout it . Where
are you going, Mr. Manager? To t he office? Really?
Will you report everyt hing t rut hfully? A person can
be incapable of work moment arily, but t hat is
precisely t he best t ime t o remember t he earlier
32
achievement s and t o consider t hat lat er, aft er t he
obst acles have been shoved aside, t he person will
work all t he more keenly and int ensely. I am really
so indebt ed t o Mr. Chief- - you know t hat perfect ly
well. On t he ot her hand, I am concerned about my
parent s and my sist er. I ' m in a fix, but I ' ll work
myself out of it again. Don' t make t hings more
difficult for me t han t hey already are. Speak up on
my behalf in t he office! People don' t like t raveling
salesmen. I know t hat . People t hink t hey earn pot s
of money and t hus lead a fine life. People don' t
even have any special reason t o t hink t hrough t his
j udgment more clearly. But you, Mr. Manager, you
have a bet t er perspect ive on t he int erconnect ions
t han t he ot her people, even, I t ell you in t ot al
confidence, a bet t er perspect ive t han Mr. Chairman
himself, who in his capacit y as t he employer may
let his j udgment make casual mist akes at t he
expense of an employee. You also know well
enough t hat t he t raveling salesman who is out side
t he office almost t he ent ire year can become so
33
easily a vict im of gossip, coincidences, and
groundless complaint s, against which it ' s impossible
for him t o defend himself, since for t he most part
he doesn' t hear about t hem at all and only t hen
when he' s exhaust ed aft er finishing a t rip, and get s
t o feel in his own body at home t he nast y
consequences, which can' t be t horoughly explored
back t o t heir origins. Mr. Manager, don' t leave
wit hout speaking a word t elling me t hat you' ll at
least concede t hat I ' m a lit t le in t he right ! "
But at Gregor' s first words t he manager had
already t urned away, and now he looked back at
Gregor over his t wit ching shoulders wit h pursed lips.
During Gregor' s speech he was not st ill for a
moment , but was moving away t owards t he door,
wit hout t aking his eyes off Gregor, but really
gradually, as if t here was a secret ban on leaving
t he room. He was already in t he hall, and aft er t he
sudden movement wit h which he finally pulled his
foot out of t he living room, one could have believed
34
t hat he had j ust burned t he sole of his foot . I n t he
hall, however, he st ret ched out his right hand away
from his body t owards t he st aircase, as if some
t ruly supernat ural relief was wait ing for him t here.
Gregor realized t hat he must not under any
circumst ances allow t he manager t o go away in t his
frame of mind, especially if his posit ion in t he firm
was not t o be placed in t he great est danger. His
parent s did not underst and all t his very well. Over
t he long years, t hey had developed t he convict ion
t hat Gregor was set up for life in his firm and, in
addit ion, t hey had so much t o do nowadays wit h
t heir present t roubles t hat all foresight was foreign
t o t hem. But Gregor had t his foresight . The
manager must be held back, calmed down,
convinced, and finally won over. The fut ure of
Gregor and his family really depended on it ! I f only
t he sist er had been t her e! She was clever. She had
already cried while Gregor was st ill lying quiet ly on
his back. And t he manager, t his friend of t he ladies,
would cert ainly let himself be guided by her. She
35
would have closed t he door t o t he apart ment and
t alked him out of his fright in t he hall. But t he sist er
was not even t here. Gregor must deal wit h it
himself.
Wit hout t hinking t hat as yet he didn' t know
anyt hing about his present abilit y t o move and
wit hout t hinking t hat his speech possibly ( indeed
probably) had once again not been underst ood, he
left t he wing of t he door, pushed himself t hrough
t he opening, and want ed t o go over t o t he manager,
who was already holding t ight ont o t he handrail
wit h bot h hands on t he landing in a ridiculous way.
But as he looked for somet hing t o hold ont o, wit h a
small scream Gregor immediat ely fell down ont o his
numerous lit t le legs. Scarcely had t his happened,
when he felt for t he first t ime t hat morning a
general physical well being. The small limbs had
firm floor under t hem; t hey obeyed perfect ly, as he
not iced t o his j oy, and st rove t o carry him forward
in t he direct ion he want ed. Right away he believed
36
t hat t he final ameliorat ion of all his suffering was
immediat ely at hand. But at t he very moment when
he lay on t he floor rocking in a rest rained manner
quit e close and direct ly across from his mot her
( appar ent ly t ot ally sunk int o herself) she suddenly
sprang right up wit h her arms spread far apart and
her fingers ext ended and cried out , "Help, for God' s
sake, help! " She held her head bowed down, as if
she want ed t o view Gregor bet t er, but ran
senselessly back, cont radict ing t hat gest ure,
forget t ing t hat behind her st ood t he t able wit h all
t he dishes on it . When she reached t he t able, she
sat down heavily on it , as if absent - mindedly, and
did not appear t o not ice at all t hat next t o her coffee
was pouring out ont o t he carpet in a full st ream
from t he large overt urned cont ainer.
"Mot her, mot her, " said Gregor quiet ly, and
looked over t owards her. The manager moment arily
had disappear ed complet ely from his mind; by
cont rast , at t he sight of t he flowing coffee he
37
couldn' t st op himself snapping his j aws in t he air a
few t imes . At t hat his mot her screamed all over
again, hurried from t he t able, and collapsed int o
t he arms of his fat her, who was rushing t owards
her. But Gregor had no t ime right now for his
parent s: t he manager was already on t he st aircase.
His chin level wit h t he banist er, t he manager looked
back for t he last t ime. Gregor t ook an init ial
movement t o cat ch up t o him if possible. But t he
manager must have suspect ed somet hing, because
he made a leap down over a few st airs and
disappear ed, st ill shout ing "Huh! " The sound echoed
t hroughout t he ent ire st airwell.
Now, unfort unat ely t his flight of t he manager
also seemed complet ely t o bewilder his fat her, who
earlier had been relat ively calm, for inst ead of
running aft er t he manager himself or at least not
hindering Gregor from his pursuit , wit h his right
hand he grabbed hold of t he manager' s cane, which
he had left behind wit h his hat and overcoat on a
38
chair. Wit h his left hand, his fat her picked up a
large newspaper from t he t able and, st amping his
feet on t he floor, he set out t o drive Gregor back
int o his room by waving t he cane and t he
newspaper. No request of Gregor' s was of any use;
no request would even be under st ood. No mat t er
how willing he was t o t urn his head respect fully, his
fat her j ust st omped all t he harder wit h his feet .
Across t he room from him his mot her had pulled
open a window, in spit e of t he cool weat her, and
leaning out wit h her hands on her cheeks, she
pushed her face far out side t he window. Bet ween
t he alley and t he st air well a st rong draught came
up, t he curt ains on t he window flew around, t he
newspapers on t he t able swished, and individual
sheet s flut t ered down over t he floor. The fat her
relent lessly pressed forward pushing out sibilant s,
like a wild man. Now, Gregor had no pract ice at all
in going backwards; it was really going very slowly.
I f Gregor only had been allowed t o t urn himself
39
around, he would have been in his room right
away, but he was afraid t o make his fat her
impat ient by t he t ime- consuming process of t urning
around, and each moment he faced t he t hreat of a
mort al blow on his back or his head from t he cane in
his fat her' s hand. Finally Gregor had no ot her
opt ion, for he not iced wit h horror t hat he did not
underst and yet how t o maint ain his direct ion going
backwards. And so he began, amid const ant ly
anxious sideways glances in his fat her' s direct ion, t o
t urn himself around as quickly as possible
( alt hough in t rut h t his was only very slowly) .
Perhaps his fat her not iced his good int ent ions, for
he did not disrupt Gregor in t his mot ion, but wit h
t he t ip of t he cane from a dist ance he even direct ed
here and t here Gr egor ' s rot at ing movement .
I f only t here hadn' t been his fat her' s unbearable
hissing! Because of t hat Gregor t ot ally lost his
head. He was already almost t ot ally t urned around,
when, always wit h t his hissing in his ear, he j ust
40
made a mist ake and t urned himself back a lit t le.
But when he finally was successful in get t ing his
head in front of t he door opening, it became clear
t hat his body was t oo wide t o go t hrough any
furt her. Nat urally his fat her, in his present ment al
st at e, had no idea of opening t he ot her wing of t he
door a bit t o creat e a suit able passage for Gregor t o
get t hrough. His single fixed t hought was t hat
Gregor must get int o his room as quickly as
possible. He would never have allowed t he elaborat e
prepar at ions t hat Gregor required t o orient himself
and t hus perhaps get t hrough t he door. On t he
cont rary, as if t here were no obst acle and wit h a
peculiar noise, he now drove Gregor forwards.
Behind Gregor t he sound was at t his point no longer
like t he voice of only a single fat her. Now it was
really no longer a j oke, and Gregor forced himself,
come what might , int o t he door. One side of his
body was lift ed up. He lay at an angle in t he door
opening. His one flank was sore wit h t he scraping.
On t he whit e door ugly blot ches were left . Soon he
41
was st uck fast and would have not been able t o
move any more on his own. The t iny legs on one
side hung t wit ching in t he air above, t he ones on t he
ot her side were pushed painfully int o t he floor.
Then his fat her gave him one really st rong liberat ing
push from behind, and he scurried, bleeding
severely, far int o t he int erior of his room. The door
was slammed shut wit h t he cane, and finally it was
quiet .
42
II
Gregor first woke up from his heavy swoon- like
sleep in t he evening t wilight . He would cert ainly
have woken up soon aft erwards wit hout any
dist urbance, for he felt himself sufficient ly rest ed
and wide awake, alt hough it appeared t o him as if a
hurried st ep and a caut ious closing of t he door t o
t he hall had aroused him. The shine of t he elect ric
st reet light s lay pale here and t here on t he ceiling
and on t he higher part s of t he furnit ure, but
underneat h around Gr egor it was dark. He pushed
himself slowly t oward t he door, st ill groping
awkwardly wit h his feelers, which he now learned
t o value for t he first t ime, t o check what was
happening t here. His left side seemed one single
long unpleasant ly st ret ched scar, and he really had
t o hobble on his t wo rows of legs. I n addit ion, one
small leg had been seriously wounded in t he course
of t he morning incident ( it was almost a miracle
43
t hat only one had been hurt ) and dragged lifelessly
behind.
By t he door he first not iced what had really
lured him t here: it was t he smell of somet hing t o
eat . For t here st ood a bowl filled wit h sweet ened
milk, in which swam t iny pieces of whit e bread. He
almost laughed wit h j oy, for he now had a much
great er hunger t han in t he morning, and he
immediat ely dipped his head almost up t o and over
his eyes down int o t he milk. But he soon drew it
back again in disappoint ment , not j ust because it
was difficult for him t o eat on account of his
delicat e left side ( he could eat only if his ent ire
pant ing body worked in a coordinat ed way) , but
also because t he milk, which ot herwise was his
favorit e drink and which his sist er had cert ainly
placed t here for t hat reason, did not appeal t o him
at all. He t urned away from t he bowl almost wit h
aversion and crept back int o t he middle of t he
room.
44
I n t he living room, as Gregor saw t hrough t he
crack in t he door, t he gas was lit , but where on
ot her occasions at t his t ime of day t he fat her was
accust omed t o read t he aft ernoon newspaper in a
loud voice t o his mot her and somet imes also t o his
sist er, at t he moment not a sound was audible.
Now, perhaps t his reading aloud, about which his
sist er always spoken and writ t en t o him, had
recent ly fallen out of t heir general rout ine. But it
was so st ill all around, in spit e of t he fact t hat t he
apart ment was cert ainly not empt y. "What a quiet
life t he family leads", said Gregor t o himself and, as
he st ared fixedly out in front of him int o t he
darkness, he felt a great pride t hat he had been able
t o provide such a life in a beaut iful apart ment like
t his for his parent s and his sist er. But how would
t hings go if now all t ranquilit y, all prosperit y, all
cont ent ment should come t o a horrible end? I n
order not t o lose himself in such t hought s, Gregor
preferred t o set himself moving and crawled up and
down in his room. Once during t he long evening
45
one side door and t hen t he ot her door was opened
j ust a t iny crack and quickly closed again. Someone
presumably needed t o come in but had t hen
t hought bet t er of it . Gregor immediat ely t ook up a
posit ion by t he living room door, det ermined t o
bring in t he hesit ant visit or somehow or ot her or at
least t o find out who it might be. But now t he door
was not opened any more, and Gregor wait ed in
vain. Earlier, when t he door had been barred, t hey
had all want ed t o come in t o him; now, when he had
opened one door and when t he ot hers had
obviously been opened during t he day, no one came
any more, and t he keys were st uck in t he locks on
t he out side.
The light in t he living room was t urned off only
lat e at night , and now it was easy t o est ablish t hat
his parent s and his sist er had st ayed awake all t his
t ime, for one could hear clearly as all t hree moved
away on t ipt oe. Now it was cert ain t hat no one
would come int o Gregor any more unt il t he morning.
46
Thus, he had a long t ime t o t hink undist urbed
about how he should reorganize his life from
scrat ch. But t he high, open room, in which he was
compelled t o lie flat on t he floor, made him
anxious, wit hout his being able t o figure out t he
reason, for he had lived in t he room for five years.
Wit h a half unconscious t urn and not wit hout a
slight shame he scurried under t he couch, where, in
spit e of t he fact t hat his back was a lit t le cramped
and he could no longer lift up his head, he felt very
comfort able and was sorry only t hat his body was
t oo wide t o fit complet ely under it .
There he remained t he ent ire night , which he
spent part ly in a st at e of semi- sleep, out of which
his hunger const ant ly woke him wit h a st art , but
part ly in a st at e of worry and murky hopes, which
all led t o t he conclusion t hat for t he t ime being he
would have t o keep calm and wit h pat ience and t he
great est considerat ion for his family t olerat e t he
47
t roubles which in his present condit ion he was now
forced t o cause t hem.
Already early in t he morning ( it was st ill almost
night ) Gregor had an opport unit y t o t est t he power
of t he decisions he had j ust made, for his sist er,
almost fully dressed, opened t he door from t he hall
int o his room and looked eagerly inside. She did not
find him immediat ely, but when she not iced him
under t he couch ( God, he had t o be somewhere or
ot her; for he could hardly fly away) she got such a
shock t hat , wit hout being able t o cont rol herself, she
slammed t he door shut once again from t he
out side. However, as if she was sorry for her
behaviour, she immediat ely opened t he door again
and walked in on her t ipt oes, as if she was in t he
presence of a serious invalid or a t ot al st ranger.
Gregor had pushed his head forward j ust t o t he
edge of t he couch and was observing her. Would
she really not ice t hat he had left t he milk st anding,
not indeed from any lack of hunger, and would she
48
bring in somet hing else t o eat more suit able for
him? I f she did not do it on her own, he would
sooner st arve t o deat h t han call her at t ent ion t o t he
fact , alt hough he had a really powerful urge t o move
beyond t he couch, t hrow himself at his sist er' s feet ,
and beg her for somet hing or ot her good t o eat . But
his sist er not iced right away wit h ast onishment t hat
t he bowl was st ill full, wit h only a lit t le milk spilled
around it . She picked it up immediat ely ( alt hough
not wit h her bare hands but wit h a rag) , and t ook it
out of t he room. Gregor was ext remely curious
what she would bring as a subst it ut e, and he
pict ured t o himself different ideas about t hat . But he
never could have guessed what his sist er out of t he
goodness of her heart in fact did. She brought him,
t o t est his t ast e, an ent ire select ion, all spread out
on an old newspaper. There were old half- rot t en
veget ables, bones from t he evening meal, covered
wit h a whit e sauce which had almost solidified,
some raisins and almonds, cheese, which Gregor
had declared inedible t wo days earlier, a slice of dry
49
bread, a slice of salt ed bread smeared wit h but t er.
I n addit ion t o all t his, she put down a bowl
( probably designat ed once and for all as Gregor' s)
int o which she had poured some wat er. And out of
her delicacy of feeling, since she knew t hat Gregor
would not eat in front of her, she went away very
quickly and even t urned t he key in t he lock, so t hat
Gregor could now observe t hat he could make
himself as comfort able as he wished. Gregor' s small
limbs buzzed as t he t ime for eat ing had come. His
wounds must , in any case, have already healed
complet ely. He felt no handicap on t hat score. He
was ast onished at t hat and t hought about it , how
more t han a mont h ago he had cut his finger slight ly
wit h a knife and how t his wound had hurt enough
even t he day before yest erday. "Am I now going t o
be less sensit ive, " he t hought , already sucking
greedily on t he cheese, which had st rongly
at t ract ed him right away, more t han all t he ot her
foods. Quickly and wit h his eyes wat ering wit h
sat isfact ion, he at e one aft er t he ot her t he cheese,
50
t he veget ables, and t he sauce; t he fresh food, by
cont rast , didn' t t ast e good t o him. He couldn' t bear
t he smell and even carried t he t hings he want ed t o
eat a lit t le dist ance away. By t he t ime his sist er
slowly t urned t he key as a sign t hat he should
wit hdraw, he was long finished and now lay lazily in
t he same spot . The noise immediat ely st art led him,
in spit e of t he fact t hat he was already almost
asleep, and he scurried back again under t he
couch. But it cost him great self- cont rol t o remain
under t he couch, even for t he short t ime his sist er
was in t he room, because his body had filled out
somewhat on account of t he rich meal and in t he
narrow space t here he could scarcely breat he. I n
t he midst of minor at t acks of asphyxiat ion, he
looked at her wit h somewhat prot ruding eyes, as
his unsuspect ing sist er swept up wit h a broom, not
j ust t he remnant s, but even t he foods which Gregor
had not t ouched at all, as if t hese were also now
useless, and as she dumped everyt hing quickly int o
a bucket , which she closed wit h a wooden lid, and
51
t hen carried all of it out of t he room. She had
hardly t urned around before Gregor had already
dragged himself out from t he couch, st ret ched out ,
and let his body expand. I n t his way Gregor got his
food every day, once in t he morning, when his
parent s and t he servant girl were st ill asleep, and a
second t ime aft er t he common noon meal, for his
parent s were, as before, asleep t hen for a lit t le
while, and t he servant girl was sent off by his sist er
on some errand or ot her. Cert ainly t hey would not
have want ed Gregor t o st arve t o deat h, but perhaps
t hey could not have endured finding out what he
at e ot her t han by hearsay. Perhaps his sist er
want ed t o spare t hem what was possibly only a
small grief, for t hey were really suffering quit e
enough already.
What sort s of excuses people had used on t hat
first morning t o get t he doct or and t he locksmit h
out of t he house Gregor was complet ely unable t o
ascert ain. Since he was not comprehensible, no
52
one, not even his sist er, t hought t hat he might be
able t o underst and ot her s, and t hus, when his sist er
was in her room, he had t o be cont ent wit h
list ening now and t hen t o her sighs and invocat ions
t o t he saint s. Only lat er, when she had grown
somewhat accust omed t o everyt hing ( nat urally
t here could never be any t alk of her growing
complet ely accust omed t o it ) Gregor somet imes
caught a comment which was int ended t o be
friendly or could be int erpret ed as such. " Well,
t oday it t ast ed good t o him, " she said, if Gregor
had really cleaned up what he had t o eat ; whereas,
in t he reverse sit uat ion, which gradually repeat ed
it self more and more frequent ly, she used t o say
sadly, "Now everyt hing has st opped again. "
But while Gregor could get no new informat ion
direct ly, he did hear a good deal from t he room
next door, and as soon as he heard voices, he
scurried right away t o t he relevant door and
pressed his ent ire body against it . I n t he early days
53
especially, t here was no conversat ion which was not
concerned wit h him in some way or ot her, even if
only in secret . For t wo days at all meal t imes
discussions on t hat subj ect could be heard on how
people should now behave; but t hey also t alked
about t he same subj ect in t he t imes bet ween meals,
for t here were always at least t wo family members
at home, since no one really want ed t o remain in
t he house alone and people could not under any
circumst ances leave t he apart ment complet ely
empt y. I n addit ion, on t he very first day t he servant
girl ( it was not complet ely clear what and how
much she knew about what had happened) on her
knees had begged his mot her t o let her go
immediat ely, and when she said good bye about
fift een minut es lat er, she t hanked t hem for t he
dismissal wit h t ears in her eyes, as if she was
receiving t he great est favour which people had
shown her t here, and, wit hout anyone demanding it
from her, she swore a fearful oat h not t o bet ray
anyone, not even t he slight est bit .
54
Now his sist er had t o t eam up wit h his mot her
t o do t he cooking, alt hough t hat didn' t creat e much
t rouble because people were eat ing almost not hing.
Again and again Gregor list ened as one of t hem
vainly invit ed anot her one t o eat and received no
answer ot her t han "Thank you. I have enough" or
somet hing like t hat . And perhaps t hey had st opped
having anyt hing t o drink, t oo. His sist er oft en asked
his fat her whet her he want ed t o have a beer and
gladly offered t o fet ch it herself, and when his
fat her was silent , she said, in order t o remove any
reservat ions he might have, t hat she could send t he
caret aker' s wife t o get it . But t hen his fat her finally
said a resounding "No, " and not hing more would be
spoken about it .
Already during t he first day his fat her laid out all
t he financial circumst ances and prospect s t o his
mot her and t o his sist er as well. From t ime t o t ime
he st ood up from t he t able and pulled out of t he
small lockbox salvaged from his business, which
55
had collapsed five years previously, some document
or ot her or some not ebook. The sound was audible
as he opened up t he complicat ed lock and, aft er
removing what he was looking for, locked it up
again. These explanat ions by his fat her were, in
part , t he first enj oyable t hing t hat Gregor had t he
chance t o list en t o since his imprisonment . He had
t hought t hat not hing at all was left over for his
fat her from t hat business; at least his fat her had
t old him not hing t o t he cont radict t hat view, and
Gregor in any case hadn' t asked him about it . At
t he t ime Gregor' s only concern had been t o devot e
everyt hing he had in order t o allow his family t o
forget as quickly as possible t he business
misfort une which had brought t hem all int o a st at e
of complet e hopelessness. And so at t hat point he' d
st art ed t o work wit h a special int ensit y and from an
assist ant had become, almost overnight , a t raveling
salesman, who nat urally had ent irely different
possibilit ies for earning money and whose successes
at work at once were convert ed int o t he form of
56
cash commissions, which could be set out on t he
t able at home in front of his ast onished and
delight ed family. Those had been beaut iful days,
and t hey had never come back aft erwards, at least
not wit h t he same splendour, in spit e of t he fact
t hat Gregor lat er earned so much money t hat he
was in a posit ion t o bear t he expenses of t he ent ire
family, expenses which he, in fact , did bear. They
had become quit e accust omed t o it , bot h t he family
and Gregor as well. They t ook t he money wit h
t hanks, and he happily surrendered it , but t he
special warmt h was no longer present . Only t he
sist er had remained st ill close t o Gregor, and it was
his secret plan t o send her ( in cont rast t o Gregor
she loved music very much and knew how t o play
t he violin charmingly) next year t o t he
conservat ory, regardless of t he great expense which
t hat must necessit at e and which would be made up
in ot her ways. Now and t hen during Gregor' s short
st ays in t he cit y t he conservat ory was ment ioned in
conversat ions wit h his sist er, but always only as a
57
beaut iful dream, whose realizat ion was
unimaginable, and t heir parent s never list ened t o
t hese innocent expect at ions wit h pleasure. But
Gregor t hought about t hem wit h scrupulous
considerat ion and int ended t o explain t he mat t er
ceremoniously on Christ mas Eve.
I n his present sit uat ion, such fut ile ideas went
t hrough his head, while he pushed himself right up
against t he door and list ened. Somet imes in his
general exhaust ion he couldn' t list en any more and
let his head bang list lessly against t he door, but he
immediat ely pulled himself t oget her, for even t he
small sound which he made by t his mot ion was
heard near by and silenced everyone. " There he
goes on again, " said his fat her aft er a while, clearly
t urning t owards t he door, and only t hen would t he
int errupt ed conversat ion gradually be resumed
again. Gregor found out clearly enough ( for his
fat her t ended t o repeat himself oft en in his
explanat ions, part ly because he had not personally
58
concerned himself wit h t hese mat t ers for a long
t ime now, and part ly also because his mot her did
not underst and everyt hing right away t he first
t ime) t hat , in spit e all bad luck, a fort une, alt hough
a very small one, was available from t he old t imes,
which t he int erest ( which had not been t ouched)
had in t he int ervening t ime gradually allowed t o
increase a lit t le. Furt hermore, in addit ion t o t his, t he
money which Gregor had brought home every
mont h ( he had kept only a few florins for himself)
had not been complet ely spent and had grown int o a
small capit al amount . Gregor, behind his door,
nodded eagerly, rej oicing over t his unant icipat ed
foresight and frugalit y. True, wit h t his excess
money, he could have paid off more of his fat her' s
debt t o his employer and t he day on which he could
be rid of t his posit ion would have been a lot closer,
but now t hings were doubt less bet t er t he way his
fat her had arranged t hem.
59
At t he moment , however, t his money was
nowhere near sufficient t o permit t he family t o live
on t he int erest payment s. Perhaps it would be
enough t o maint ain t he family for one or at most
t wo years, t hat ' s all. Thus it came only t o an
amount which one should not really t ake out and
which must be set aside for an emergency. But t he
money t o live on must be earned. Now, his fat her
was a healt hy man, alt hough he was old, who had
not worked at all for five years now and t hus could
not be count ed on for very much. He had in t hese
five years, t he first holidays of his t rouble- filled but
unsuccessful life, put on a good deal of fat and t hus
had become really heavy. And should his old mot her
now maybe work for money, a woman who suffered
from ast hma, for whom wandering t hrough t he
apart ment even now was a great st rain and who
spent every second day on t he sofa by t he open
window labouring for breat h? Should his sist er earn
money, a girl who was st ill a sevent een- year- old
child, whose earlier life st yle had been so very
60
delight ful t hat it had consist ed of dressing herself
nicely, sleeping in lat e, helping around t he house,
t aking part in a few modest enj oyment s and, above
all, playing t he violin? When it came t o t alking about
t his need t o earn money, at first Gregor went away
from t he door and t hrew himself on t he cool leat her
sofa beside t he door, for he was quit e hot from
shame and sorrow. Oft en he lay t here all night
long. He didn' t sleep a moment and j ust scrat ched
on t he leat her for hours at a t ime. He undert ook t he
very difficult t ask of shoving a chair over t o t he
window. Then he crept up on t he window sill and,
braced in t he chair, leaned against t he window t o
look out , obviously wit h some memory or ot her of
t he sat isfact ion which t hat used t o bring him in
earlier t imes. Act ually from day t o day he perceived
t hings wit h less and less clarit y, even t hose a short
dist ance away: t he hospit al across t he st reet , t he all
t oo frequent sight of which he had previously
cursed, was not visible at all any more, and if he
had not been pr ecisely aware t hat he lived in t he
61
quiet but complet ely urban Charlot t e St reet , he
could have believed t hat from his window he was
peering out at a feat ureless wast eland, in which t he
gray heaven and t he gray eart h had mer ged and
were indist inguishable. His at t ent ive sist er must
have observed a couple of t imes t hat t he chair
st ood by t he window; t hen, aft er cleaning up t he
room, each t ime she pushed t he chair back right
against t he window and from now on she even left
t he inner casement open. I f Gregor had only been
able t o speak t o his sist er and t hank her for
everyt hing t hat she had t o do for him, he would
have t olerat ed her service more easily. As it was he
suffered under it . The sist er admit t edly sought t o
cover up t he awkwardness of everyt hing as much
as possible, and, as t ime went by, she nat urally got
more successful at it . But wit h t he passing of t ime
Gregor also came t o underst and everyt hing more
precisely. Even her ent rance was t errible for him.
As soon as she ent ered, she ran st raight t o t he
window, wit hout t aking t he t ime t o shut t he door
62
( in spit e of t he fact t hat she was ot herwise very
considerat e in sparing anyone t he sight of Gregor' s
room) , and yanked t he window open wit h eager
hands, as if she was almost suffocat ing, and
remained for a while by t he window breat hing
deeply, even when it was st ill so cold. Wit h t his
running and noise she fright ened Gregor t wice every
day. The ent ire t ime he t rembled under t he couch,
and yet he knew very well t hat she would cert ainly
have spared him gladly if it had only been possible
t o remain wit h t he window closed in a room where
Gregor lived.
On one occasion ( about one mont h had already
gone by since Gregor ' s t ransformat ion, and t here
was now no part icular reason any more for his sist er
t o be st art led at Gregor' s appearance) she came a
lit t le earlier t han usual and came upon Gregor as
he was st ill looking out t he window, immobile and
well posit ioned t o fright en someone. I t would not
have come as a surprise t o Gregor if she had not
63
come in, since his posit ion was prevent ing her from
opening t he window immediat ely. But she not only
did not st ep inside; she even ret reat ed and shut t he
door. A st ranger really could have concluded from
t his t hat Gregor had been lying in wait for her and
want ed t o bit e her. Of course, Gregor immediat ely
concealed himself under t he couch, but he had t o
wait unt il t he noon meal before his sist er ret urned,
and she seemed much less calm t han usual. From
t his he realized t hat his appearance was st ill
const ant ly int olerable t o her and must remain
int olerable in fut ure, and t hat she really had t o exert
a lot of self- cont rol not t o run away from a glimpse
of only t he small part of his body which st uck out
from under t he couch. I n order t o spare her even
t his sight , one day he dragged t he sheet on his
back ont o t he couch ( t his t ask t ook him four hours)
and arranged it in such a way t hat he was now
complet ely concealed and his sist er, even if she
bent down, could not see him. I f t his sheet was not
necessary as far as she was concerned, t hen she
64
could remove it , for it was clear enough t hat Gregor
could not derive any pleasure from isolat ing himself
away so complet ely. But she left t he sheet j ust as it
was, and Gregor believed he even caught a look of
grat it ude when on one occasion he carefully lift ed
up t he sheet a lit t le wit h his head t o check as his
sist er t ook st ock of t he new arrangement .
I n t he first t wo weeks his parent s could not
bring t hemselves t o visit him, and he oft en heard
how t hey fully acknowledged his sist er' s present
work; whereas, earlier t hey had oft en got annoyed
at his sist er because she had seemed t o t hem a
somewhat useless young woman. However, now
bot h his fat her and his mot her oft en wait ed in front
of Gregor' s door while his sist er cleaned up inside,
and as soon as she came out she had t o explain in
det ail how t hings looked in t he room, what Gregor
had eat en, how he had behaved t his t ime, and
whet her perhaps a slight improvement was
percept ible. I n any event , his mot her comparat ively
65
soon want ed t o visit Gregor, but his fat her and his
sist er rest rained her, at first wit h reasons which
Gregor list ened t o very at t ent ively and which he
complet ely endorsed. Lat er, however, t hey had t o
hold her back forcefully, and when she t hen cried
"Let me go t o Gregor. He' s my unlucky son! Don' t
you underst and t hat I have t o go t o him?" Gregor
t hen t hought t hat perhaps it would be a good t hing
if his mot her came in, not every day, of course, but
maybe once a week. She underst ood everyt hing
much bet t er t han his sist er, who in spit e of all her
courage was st ill a child and, in t he last analysis,
had perhaps undert aken such a difficult t ask only
out of childish recklessness.
Gregor ' s wish t o see his mot her was soon
realized. While during t he day Gregor, out of
considerat ion for his parent s, did not want t o show
himself by t he window, he couldn' t crawl around
very much on t he few square met res of t he floor.
He found it difficult t o bear lying quiet ly during t he
66
night , and soon eat ing no longer gave him t he
slight est pleasure. So for diversion he acquired t he
habit of crawling back and fort h across t he walls and
ceiling. He was especially fond of hanging from t he
ceiling. The experience was quit e different from
lying on t he floor. I t was easier t o breat he, a slight
vibrat ion went t hrough his body, and in t he midst
of t he almost happy amusement which Gregor
found up t here, it could happen t hat , t o his own
surprise, he let go and hit t he floor. However, now
he nat urally cont rolled his body quit e different ly,
and he did not inj ure himself in such a great fall.
His sist er not iced immediat ely t he new amusement
which Gregor had found for himself ( for as he crept
around he left behind here and t here t races of his
st icky st uff) , and so she got t he idea of making
Gregor ' s creeping around as easy as possible and
t hus of removing t he furnit ure which got in t he
way, especially t he chest of drawers and t he writ ing
desk.
67
But she was in no posit ion t o do t his by herself.
She did not dare t o ask her fat her t o help, and t he
servant girl would cert ainly not have assist ed her,
for alt hough t his girl, about sixt een years old, had
courageously remained since t he dismissal of t he
previous cook, she had begged for t he privilege of
being allowed t o st ay permanent ly confined t o t he
kit chen and of having t o open t he door only in
answer t o a special summons. Thus, his sist er had
no ot her choice but t o involve his mot her while his
fat her was absent . His mot her approached Gregor' s
room wit h cries of excit ed j oy, but she fell silent at
t he door. Of course, his sist er first checked whet her
everyt hing in t he room was in order. Only t hen did
she let his mot her walk in. I n great hast e Gregor
had drawn t he sheet down even furt her and
wrinkled it more. The whole t hing really looked j ust
like a coverlet t hrown carelessly over t he couch. On
t his occasion, Gregor held back from spying out
from under t he sheet . Thus, he refrained from
looking at his mot her t his t ime and was j ust happy
68
t hat she had come. "Come on; he is not visible, "
said his sist er, and evident ly led his mot her by t he
hand. Now Gregor list ened as t hese t wo weak
women shift ed t he st ill heavy old chest of drawers
from it s posit ion, and as his sist er const ant ly t ook
on herself t he great est part of t he work, wit hout
list ening t o t he warnings of his mot her who was
afraid t hat she would st rain herself. The work last ed
a long t ime. Aft er about a quart er of an hour had
already gone by his mot her said t hat it would be
bet t er if t hey left t he chest of drawers where it was,
because, in t he first place, it was t oo heavy: t hey
would not be finished before his fat her' s arrival, and
wit h t he chest of drawers in t he middle of t he room
it would block all Gregor' s pat hways, but , in t he
second place, it might not be cert ain t hat Gregor
would be pleased wit h t he removal of t he furnit ure.
To her t he reverse seemed t o be t rue; t he sight of
t he empt y walls pierced her right t o t he heart , and
why should Gregor not feel t he same, since he had
been accust omed t o t he room furnishings for a long
69
t ime and in an empt y room would t hus feel himself
abandoned. "And is it not t he case, " his mot her
concluded very quiet ly, almost whispering as if she
wished t o prevent Gregor, whose exact locat ion she
really didn' t know, from hearing even t he sound of
her voice ( for she was convinced t hat he did not
underst and her words) , "and isn' t it a fact t hat by
removing t he furnit ure we' re showing t hat we' re
giving up all hope of an improvement and are
leaving him t o his own resources wit hout any
considerat ion? I t hink it would be best if we t ried t o
keep t he room exact ly in t he condit ion in which it
was before, so t hat , when Gregor ret urns t o us, he
finds everyt hing unchanged and can forget t he
int ervening t ime all t he more easily. "
As he heard his mot her' s words Gregor realized
t hat t he lack of all immediat e human cont act ,
t oget her wit h t he monot onous life surrounded by
t he family over t he course of t hese t wo mont hs
must have confused his underst anding, because
70
ot herwise he couldn' t explain t o himself t hat he in
all seriousness could' ve been so keen t o have his
room empt ied. Was he really eager t o let t he warm
room, comfort ably furnished wit h pieces he had
inherit ed, be t urned int o a cavern in which he
would, of course, t hen be able t o crawl about in all
direct ions wit hout dist urbance, but at t he same
t ime wit h a quick and complet e forget t ing of his
human past as well? Was he t hen at t his point
already on t he verge of forget t ing and was it only
t he voice of his mot her, which he had not heard for
along t ime, t hat had aroused him? Not hing was t o
be removed; everyt hing must remain. I n his
condit ion he couldn' t funct ion wit hout t he beneficial
influences of his furnit ure. And if t he furnit ure
prevent ed him from carrying out his senseless
crawling about all over t he place, t hen t here was no
harm in t hat , but rat her a great benefit .
But his sist er unfort unat ely t hought ot herwise.
She had grown accust omed, cert ainly not wit hout
71
j ust ificat ion, so far as t he discussion of mat t ers
concerning Gregor was concerned, t o act as an
special expert wit h respect t o t heir parent s, and so
now t he mot her' s advice was for his sist er sufficient
reason t o insist on t he removal, not only of t he
chest of drawers and t he writ ing desk, which were
t he only it ems she had t hought about at first , but
also of all t he furnit ure, wit h t he except ion of t he
indispensable couch. Of course, it was not only
childish defiance and her recent very unexpect ed
and hard won self- confidence which led her t o t his
demand. She had also act ually observed t hat
Gregor needed a great deal of room t o creep about ;
t he furnit ure, on t he ot her hand, as far as one
could see, was not of t he slight est use.
But perhaps t he ent husiast ic sensibilit y of young
women of her age also played a role. This feeling
sought release at every opport unit y, and wit h it
Gret e now felt t empt ed t o want t o make Gregor ' s
sit uat ion even more t errifying, so t hat t hen she
72
would be able t o do even more for him t han now.
For surely no one except Gret e would ever t rust
t hemselves t o ent er a room in which Gregor ruled
t he empt y walls all by himself. And so she did not
let herself be dissuaded from her decision by her
mot her, who in t his room seemed uncert ain of
herself in her sheer agit at ion and soon kept quiet ,
helping his sist er wit h all her energy t o get t he
chest of drawers out of t he room. Now, Gregor could
st ill do wit hout t he chest of drawers if need be, but
t he writ ing desk really had t o st ay. And scarcely
had t he women left t he room wit h t he chest of
drawers, groaning as t hey pushed it , when Gregor
st uck his head out from under t he sofa t o t ake a
look how he could int ervene caut iously and wit h as
much considerat ion as possible. But unfort unat ely it
was his mot her who came back int o t he room first ,
while Gret e had her arms wrapped around t he
chest of drawers in t he next room and was rocking
it back and fort h by herself, wit hout moving it from
it s posit ion. His mot her was not used t o t he sight of
73
Gregor; he could have made her ill, and so,
fright ened, Gregor scurried backwards right t o t he
ot her end of t he sofa, but he could no longer
prevent t he sheet from moving forward a lit t le. That
was enough t o cat ch his mot her' s at t ent ion. She
came t o a halt , st ood st ill for a moment , and t hen
went back t o Gret e.
Alt hough Gregor kept repeat ing t o himself over
and over t hat really not hing unusual was going on,
t hat only a few pieces of furnit ure were being
rearranged, he soon had t o admit t o himself t hat
t he movement s of t he women t o and fro, t heir quiet
conversat ions, t he scrat ching of t he furnit ure on t he
floor affect ed him like a great swollen commot ion
on all sides, and, so firmly was he pulling in his
head and legs and pr essing his body int o t he floor,
he had t o t ell himself unequivocally t hat he
wouldn' t be able t o endure all t his much longer.
They were cleaning out his room, t aking away from
him everyt hing he cherished; t hey had already
74
dragged out t he chest of drawers in which t he fret
saw and ot her t ools were kept , and t hey were now
loosening t he writ ing desk which was fixed t ight t o
t he floor, t he desk on which he, as a business
st udent , a school st udent , indeed even as an
element ary school st udent , had writ t en out his
assignment s. At t hat moment he really didn' t have
any more t ime t o check t he good int ent ions of t he
t wo women, whose exist ence he had in any case
almost forgot t en, because in t heir exhaust ion t hey
were working really silent ly, and t he heavy
st umbling of t heir feet was t he only sound t o be
heard. And so he scut t led out ( t he women were j ust
propping t hemselves up on t he writ ing desk in t he
next room in order t o t ake a breat her) changing t he
direct ion of his pat h four t imes. He really didn' t
know what he should rescue first . Then he saw
hanging conspicuously on t he wall, which was
ot herwise already empt y, t he pict ure of t he woman
dressed in not hing but fur. He quickly scurried up
over it and pressed himself against t he glass t hat
75
held it in place and which made his hot abdomen
feel good. At least t his pict ure, which Gregor at t he
moment complet ely concealed, surely no one would
now t ake away. He t wist ed his head t owards t he
door of t he living room t o observe t he women as
t hey came back in.
They had not allowed t hemselves very much
rest and were coming back right away. Gret e had
placed her arm around her mot her and held her
t ight ly. "So what shall we t ake now?" said Gret e
and looked around her. Then her glance crossed
wit h Gregor' s from t he wall. She kept her
composure only because her mot her was t here. She
bent her face t owards her mot her in order t o
prevent her from looking around, and said,
alt hough in a t rembling voice and t oo quickly,
"Come, wouldn' t it be bet t er t o go back t o t he living
room for j ust anot her moment ?" Gret e' s purpose
was clear t o Gregor: she want ed t o bring his mot her
t o a safe place and t hen chase him down from t he
76
wall. Well, let her j ust at t empt t hat ! He squat t ed on
his pict ure and did not hand it over. He would
sooner spring int o Gret e' s face.
But Gret e' s words had immediat ely made t he
mot her very uneasy. She walked t o t he side,
caught sight of t he enormous brown splot ch on t he
flowered wallpaper, and, before she became t ruly
aware t hat what she was looking at was Gregor,
screamed out in a high pit ched raw voice "Oh God,
oh God" and fell wit h out st ret ched arms, as if she
was surrendering everyt hing, down ont o t he couch
and lay t here mot ionless. " Gregor, you. . . ," cried
out his sist er wit h a raised fist and an urgent glare.
Since his t ransformat ion t hose were t he first words
which she had direct ed right at him. She ran int o
t he room next door t o bring some spirit s or ot her
wit h which she could revive her mot her from her
faint ing spell. Gregor want ed t o help as well ( t here
was t ime enough t o save t he pict ure) , but he was
st uck fast on t he glass and had t o t ear himself loose
77
forcefully. Then he also scurried int o t he next room,
as if he could give his sist er some advice, as in
earlier t imes, but t hen he had t o st and t here idly
behind her, while she rummaged about among
various small bot t les. St ill, she was fright ened when
she t urned around. A bot t le fell ont o t he floor and
shat t ered. A splint er of glass wounded Gregor in
t he face, some corrosive medicine or ot her dripped
over him. Now, wit hout lingering any longer, Gret e
t ook as many small bot t les as she could hold and
ran wit h t hem int o her mot her. She slammed t he
door shut wit h her foot . Gregor was now shut off
from his mot her, who was perhaps near deat h,
t hanks t o him. He could not open t he door, and he
did not want t o chase away his sist er who had t o
remain wit h her mot her. At t his point he had
not hing t o do but wait , and overwhelmed wit h self-
reproach and worry, he began t o cr eep and crawl
over everyt hing: walls, furnit ure, and ceiling, .
Finally, in his despair, as t he ent ire room st art ed t o
78
spin around him, he fell ont o t he middle of t he large
t able.
A short t ime elapsed. Gregor lay t here limply.
All around was st ill. Perhaps t hat was a good sign.
Then t here was ring at t he door. The servant girl
was nat urally shut up in her kit chen, and Gret e
must t herefore go t o open t he door. The fat her had
arrived. "What ' s happened, " were his first words.
Gret e' s appearance had t old him everyt hing. Gret e
replied wit h a dull voice; evident ly she was pressing
her face int o her fat her' s chest : "Mot her faint ed, but
she' s get t ing bet t er now. Gregor has broken loose. "
"Yes, I have expect ed t hat , " said his fat her, "I
always t old you t hat , but you women don' t want t o
list en. " I t was clear t o Gregor t hat his fat her had
badly misunderst ood Gret e' s short message and
was assuming t hat Gregor had commit t ed some
violent crime or ot her. Thus, Gregor now had t o
find his fat her t o calm him down, for he had neit her
t he t ime nor t he opport unit y t o clarify t hings for
79
him. And so he rushed away t o t he door of his
room and pushed himself against it , so t hat his
fat her could see right away as he ent ered from t he
hall t hat Gregor fully int ended t o ret urn at once t o
his room, t hat it was not necessary t o drive him
back, but t hat one only needed t o open t he door
and he would disappear immediat ely.
But his fat her was not in t he mood t o observe
such nicet ies. "Ah, " he yelled as soon as he
ent ered, wit h a t one as if he were all at once angry
and pleased. Gregor pulled his head back from t he
door and raised it in t he direct ion of his fat her. He
had not really pict ured his fat her as he now st ood
t here. Of course, what wit h his new st yle of
creeping all around, he had in t he past while
neglect ed t o pay at t ent ion t o what was going on in
t he rest of t he apart ment , as he had done before,
and really should have grasped t he fact t hat he
would encount er different condit ions. Nevert heless,
nevert heless, was t hat st ill his fat her? Was t hat t he
80
same man who had lain exhaust ed and buried in
bed in earlier days when Gregor was set t ing out on
a business t rip, who had received him on t he
evenings of his ret urn in a sleeping gown and arm
chair, t ot ally incapable of st anding up, who had
only lift ed his arm as a sign of happiness, and who
in t heir rare st rolls t oget her a few Sundays a year
and on t he import ant holidays made his way slowly
forwards bet ween Gr egor and his mot her ( who
t hemselves moved slowly) , always a bit more slowly
t han t hem, bundled up in his old coat , all t he t ime
set t ing down his walking st ick carefully, and who,
when he had want ed t o say somet hing, almost
always st ood st ill and gat hered his ent ourage
around him?
But now he was st anding up really st raight ,
dressed in a t ight fit t ing blue uniform wit h gold
but t ons, like t he ones servant s wear in a banking
company. Above t he high st iff collar of his j acket
his firm double chin st uck out prominent ly, beneat h
81
his bushy eyebrows t he glance of his black eyes was
freshly penet rat ing and alert , his ot herwise
disheveled whit e hair was combed down int o a
carefully exact shining part . He t hrew his cap, on
which a gold monogram ( apparent ly t he symbol of
t he bank) was affixed, in an arc across t he ent ire
room ont o t he sofa and moved, t hrowing back t he
edge of t he long coat of his uniform, wit h his hands
in his t rouser pocket s and a grim face, right up t o
Gregor.
He really didn' t know what he had in mind, but
he raised his foot uncommonly high anyway, and
Gregor was ast onished at t he gigant ic size of his
sole of his boot . However, he did not linger on t hat
point . For he knew from t he first day of his new life
t hat as far as he was concerned his fat her
considered t he gr eat est force t he only appropriat e
response. And so he scurried away from his fat her,
st opped when his fat her remained st anding, and
scamper ed forward again when his fat her merely
82
st irred. I n t his way t hey made t heir way around t he
room repeat edly, wit hout anyt hing decisive t aking
place; indeed because of t he slow pace it didn' t
look like a chase. Gregor remained on t he floor for
t he t ime being, especially as he was afraid t hat his
fat her could t ake a flight up ont o t he wall or t he
ceiling as an act of real malice. At any event Gregor
had t o t ell himself t hat he couldn' t keep up t his
running around for a long t ime, because whenever
his fat her t ook a single st ep, he had t o go t hrough
an enormous number of movement s. Already he
was st art ing t o suffer from a short age of breat h,
j ust as in his earlier days his lungs had been quit e
unreliable. As he now st aggered around in t his way
in order t o gat her all his energies for running,
hardly keeping his eyes open, in his list lessness he
had no not ion at all of any escape ot her t han by
running and had almost already forgot t en t hat t he
walls were available t o him, alt hough t hey were
obst ruct ed by carefully carved furnit ure full of sharp
point s and spikes- - at t hat moment somet hing or
83
ot her t hrown casually flew down close by and rolled
in front of him. I t was an apple; immediat ely a
second one flew aft er it . Gregor st ood st ill in fright .
Furt her flight was useless, for his fat her had decided
t o bombard him. From t he fruit bowl on t he
sideboard his fat her had filled his pocket s, and now,
wit hout for t he moment t aking accurat e aim, was
t hrowing apple aft er apple. These small red apples
rolled as if elect rified around on t he floor and
collided wit h each ot her. A weakly t hrown apple
grazed Gr egor' s back but skidded off harmlessly.
However anot her t hrown immediat ely aft er t hat one
drove int o Gregor' s back really hard. Gregor want ed
t o drag himself off, as if t he unexpect ed and
incredible pain would go away if he changed his
posit ion. But he felt as if he was nailed in place and
lay st ret ched out complet ely confused in all his
senses. Only wit h his final glance did he not ice how
t he door of his room was pulled open and how,
right in front of his sist er ( who was yelling) , his
mot her ran out in her undergarment s, for his sist er
84
had undressed her in order t o give her some
freedom t o breat he in her faint ing spell, and how his
mot her t hen ran up t o his fat her, on t he way her
t ied up skirt s one aft er t he ot her slipped t oward t he
floor, and how, t ripping over her skirt s, she hurled
herself ont o his fat her and, t hrowing her arms
around him, in complet e union wit h him- - but at t his
moment Gregor ' s powers of sight gave way- - as her
hands reached t o t he back of his fat her' s head and
she begged him t o spare Gregor' s life.
85
III
Gregor ' s serious wound, from which he suffered
for over a mont h ( since no one vent ured t o remove
t he apple, it remained in his flesh as a visible
reminder) , seemed by it self t o have reminded t he
fat her t hat , in spit e of his present unhappy and
hat eful appearance, Gregor was a member of t he
family, somet hing one should not t reat as an
enemy, and t hat it was, on t he cont rary, a
requirement of family dut y t o suppress one' s
aversion and t o endure- - not hing else, j ust endure.
And if t hrough his wound Gregor had now
apparent ly lost for good his abilit y t o move and for
t he t ime being needed many many minut es t o crawl
across t his room, like an aged invalid ( so far as
creeping up high was concerned, t hat was
unimaginable) , nevert heless for t his worsening of
his condit ion, in his opinion, he did get complet ely
sat isfact ory compensat ion, because every day
t owards evening t he door t o t he living room, which
86
he was in t he habit of keeping a sharp eye on even
one or t wo hours beforehand, was opened, so t hat
he, lying down in t he darkness of his room, invisible
from t he living room, could see t he ent ire family at
t he illuminat ed t able and list en t o t heir
conversat ion, t o a cert ain ext ent wit h t heir common
permission, a sit uat ion quit e different from what
happened before.
Of course, it was no longer t he animat ed social
int eract ion of former t imes, about which Gregor in
small hot el rooms had always t hought about wit h a
cert ain longing, when, t ired out , he had t o t hrow
himself in t he damp bedclot hes. For t he most part
what went on now was very quiet . Aft er t he evening
meal t he fat her fell asleep quickly in his arm chair;
t he mot her and sist er t alked guardedly t o each
ot her in t he st illness. Bent far over, t he mot her
sewed fine undergarment s for a fashion shop. The
sist er, who had t aken on a j ob as a salesgirl, in t he
evening st udied st enography and French, so as
87
perhaps lat er t o obt ain a bet t er posit ion.
Somet imes t he fat her woke up and, as if he was
quit e ignorant t hat he had been asleep, said t o t he
mot her "How long you have been sewing t oday! "
and went right back t o sleep, while t he mot her and
t he sist er smiled t iredly t o each ot her.
Wit h a sort of st ubbornness t he fat her refused
t o t ake off his servant ' s uniform even at home, and
while his sleeping gown hung unused on t he coat
hook, t he fat her dozed complet ely dressed in his
place, as if he was always ready for his
responsibilit y and even here was wait ing for t he
voice of his superior. As result , in spit e of all t he
care of t he mot her and sist er, his uniform, which
even at t he st art was not new, grew dirt y, and
Gregor looked, oft en for t he ent ire evening, at t his
clot hing, wit h st ains all over it and wit h it s gold
but t ons always polished, in which t he old man,
alt hough very uncomfort able, slept peacefully
nonet heless.
88
As soon as t he clock st ruck t en, t he mot her t ried
encouraging t he fat her gent ly t o wake up and t hen
persuading him t o go t o bed, on t he ground t hat he
couldn' t get a proper sleep here and t he fat her,
who had t o report for service at six o' clock, really
needed a good sleep. But in his st ubbornness, which
had gripped him since he had become a servant , he
insist ed always on st aying even longer by t he t able,
alt hough he regularly fell asleep and t hen could only
be prevailed upon wit h t he great est difficult y t o
t rade his chair for t he bed. No mat t er how much
t he mot her and sist er might at t hat point work on
him wit h small admonit ions, for a quart er of an
hour he would remain shaking his head slowly, his
eyes closed, wit hout st anding up. The mot her would
pull him by t he sleeve and speak flat t ering words
int o his ear; t he sist er would leave her work t o help
her mot her, but t hat would not have t he desired
effect on t he fat her. He would set t le himself even
more deeply in his arm chair. Only when t he t wo
women grabbed him under t he armpit s would he
89
t hrow his eyes open, look back and fort h at t he
mot her and sist er, and habit ually say "This is a life.
This is t he peace and quiet of my old age. " And
propped up by bot h women, he would heave himself
up, elaborat ely, as if for him it was t he great est
t ravail, allow himself t o be led t o t he door by t he
women, wave t hem away t here, and proceed on his
own from t here, while t he mot her quickly t hrew
down her sewing implement s and t he sist er her pen
in order t o run aft er t he fat her and help him some
more.
I n t his overworked and exhaust ed family who
had t ime t o worry any longer about Gregor more
t han was absolut ely necessary? The household was
const ant ly get t ing smaller. The servant girl was
now let go. A huge bony cleaning woman wit h whit e
hair flapping all over her head came in t he morning
and t he evening t o do t he heaviest work. The
mot her t ook care of everyt hing else in addit ion t o
her considerable sewing work. I t even happened
90
t hat various pieces of family j ewelry, which
previously t he mot her and sist er had been
overj oyed t o wear on social and fest ive occasions,
were sold, as Gregor found out in t he evening from
t he general discussion of t he prices t hey had
fet ched. But t he great est complaint was always t hat
t hey could not leave t his apart ment , which was t oo
big for t heir present means, since it was impossible
t o imagine how Gregor might be moved. But
Gregor fully recognized t hat it was not j ust
considerat ion for him which was prevent ing a move
( for he could have been t ransport ed easily in a
suit able box wit h a few air holes) ; t he main t hing
holding t he family back from a change in living
quart ers was far more t heir complet e hopelessness
and t he idea t hat t hey had been st ruck by a
misfort une like no one else in t heir ent ire circle of
relat ives and acquaint ances.
What t he world demands of poor people t hey
now carried out t o an ext reme degree. The fat her
91
bought br eakfast t o t he pet t y officials at t he bank,
t he mot her sacrificed herself for t he undergarment s
of st rangers, t he sist er behind her desk was at t he
beck and call of cust omers, but t he family' s energies
did not ext end any furt her. And t he wound in his
back began t o pain Gregor all over again, when
now mot her and sist er, aft er t hey had escort ed t he
fat her t o bed, came back, let t heir work lie, moved
close t oget her, and sat cheek t o cheek and when
his mot her would now say, point ing t o Gregor' s
room, "Close t he door, Gret e, " and when Gregor
was again in t he darkness, while close by t he
women mingled t heir t ears or, quit e dry eyed,
st ared at t he t able.
Gregor spent his night s and days wit h hardly
any sleep. Somet imes he t hought t hat t he next
t ime t he door opened he would t ake over t he family
arrangement s j ust as he had earlier. I n his
imaginat ion appeared again, aft er a long t ime, his
employer and supervisor and t he appr ent ices, t he
92
excessively gormless cust odian, t wo or t hree
friends from ot her businesses, a chambermaid from
a hot el in t he provinces, a loving fleet ing memory,
a female cashier from a hat shop, whom he had
seriously, but t oo slowly court ed- - t hey all appeared
mixed in wit h st rangers or people he had already
forgot t en, but inst ead of helping him and his family,
t hey were all unapproachable, and he was happy t o
see t hem disappear.
But t hen he was in no mood t o worry about his
family. He was filled wit h sheer anger over t he
wret ched care he was get t ing, even t hough he
couldn' t imagine anyt hing for which he might have
an appet it e. St ill, he made plans about how he
could t ake from t he larder what he at all account
deserved, even if he wasn' t hungry. Wit hout
t hinking any more about how one might be able t o
give Gregor special pleasure, t he sist er now kicked
some food or ot her very quickly int o his room in t he
morning and at noon, before she ran off t o her
93
shop, and in t he evening, quit e indifferent about
whet her t he food had perhaps only been t ast ed or,
what happened most frequent ly, remained ent irely
undist urbed, she whisked it out wit h one sweep of
her broom. The t ask of cleaning his room, which she
now always carried out in t he evening, could not be
done any more quickly. St reaks of dirt ran along
t he walls; here and t here lay t angles of dust and
garbage. At first , when his sist er arrived, Gregor
posit ioned himself in a part icularly filt hy corner in
order wit h t his post ure t o make somet hing of a
prot est . But he could have well st ayed t here for
weeks wit hout his sist er' s changing her ways.
I ndeed, she perceived t he dirt as much as he did,
but she had decided j ust t o let it st ay.
I n t his business, wit h a t ouchiness which was
quit e new t o her and which had generally t aken
over t he ent ire family, she kept wat ch t o see t hat
t he cleaning of Gregor' s room remained reserved
for her. Once his mot her had undert aken a maj or
94
cleaning of Gregor' s room, which she had only
complet ed successfully aft er using a few bucket s of
wat er. But t he ext ensive dampness made Gregor
sick and he lay supine, embit t ered and immobile on
t he couch. However, t he mot her' s punishment was
not delayed for long. For in t he evening t he sist er
had hardly observed t he change in Gregor' s room
before she ran int o t he living room might ily
offended and, in spit e of her mot her' s hand lift ed
high in ent reat y, broke out in a fit of crying. Her
parent s ( t he fat her had, of course, woken up wit h a
st art in his arm chair) at first looked at her
ast onished and helpless; unt il t hey st art ed t o get
agit at ed. Turning t o his right , t he fat her heaped
reproaches on t he mot her t hat she was not t o t ake
over t he cleaning of Gregor' s room from t he sist er
and, t urning t o his left , he shout ed at t he sist er t hat
she would no longer be allowed t o clean Gregor' s
room ever again, while t he mot her t ried t o pull t he
fat her, beside himself in his excit ement , int o t he bed
room; t he sist er, shaken by her crying fit , pounded
95
on t he t able wit h her t iny fist s, and Gregor hissed
at all t his, angry t hat no one t hought about shut t ing
t he door and sparing him t he sight of t his
commot ion.
But even when t he sist er, exhaust ed from her
daily work, had grown t ired of caring for Gregor as
she had before, even t hen t he mot her did not have
t o come at all on her behalf. And Gregor did not
have t o be neglect ed. For now t he cleaning woman
was t here. This old widow, who in her long life must
have managed t o survive t he worst wit h t he help of
her bony frame, had no real horror of Gregor.
Wit hout being in t he least curious, she had once by
chance opened Gregor' s door. At t he sight of
Gregor, who, t ot ally surprised, began t o scamper
here and t here, alt hough no one was chasing him,
she remained st anding wit h her hands folded across
her st omach st aring at him. Since t hen she did not
fail t o open t he door furt ively a lit t le every morning
and evening t o look in on Gregor. At first , she also
96
called him t o her wit h words which she presumably
t hought were friendly, like " Come here for a bit , old
dung beet le! " or "Hey, look at t he old dung beet le! "
Addressed in such a manner, Gregor answered
not hing, but remained mot ionless in his place, as if
t he door had not been opened at all. I f only,
inst ead of allowing t his cleaning woman t o dist urb
him uselessly whenever she felt like it , t hey had
inst ead given her orders t o clean up his room every
day! One day in t he early morning ( a hard
downpour, perhaps already a sign of t he coming
spring, st ruck t he window panes) when t he cleaning
woman st art ed up once again wit h her usual
conversat ion, Gregor was so bit t er t hat he t urned
t owards her, as if for an at t ack, alt hough slowly and
weakly. But inst ead of being afraid of him, t he
cleaning woman merely lift ed up a chair st anding
close by t he door and, as she st ood t here wit h her
mout h wide open, her int ent ion was clear: she
would close her mout h only when t he chair in her
hand had been t hrown down on Gregor' s back.
97
"This goes no furt her, all right ?" she asked, as
Gregor t urned himself around again, and she placed
t he chair calmly back in t he corner.
Gregor at e hardly anyt hing any more. Only
when he chanced t o move past t he food which had
been pr epar ed did he, as a game, t ake a bit int o his
mout h, hold it t here for hours, and generally spit it
out again. At first he t hought it might be his
sadness over t he condit ion of his room which kept
him from eat ing, but he very soon became
reconciled t o t he alt erat ions in his room. People had
grown accust omed t o put int o st orage in his room
t hings which t hey couldn' t put anywhere else, and
at t his point t here were many such t hings, now t hat
t hey had rent ed one room of t he apart ment t o
t hree lodgers. These solemn gent lemen ( all t hree
had full beards, as Gregor once found out t hrough a
crack in t he door) were met iculously int ent on
t idiness, not only in t heir own room but ( since t hey
had now rent ed a room here) in t he ent ire
98
household, and part icularly in t he kit chen. They
simply did not t olerat e any useless or shoddy st uff.
Moreover, for t he most part t hey had brought wit h
t hem t heir own pieces of furnit ure. Thus, many
it ems had become superfluous, and t hese were not
really t hings one could sell or t hings people want ed
t o t hrow out . All t hese it ems ended up in Gregor' s
room, even t he box of ashes and t he garbage pail
from t he kit chen. The cleaning woman, always in a
hurry, simply flung anyt hing t hat was moment arily
useless int o Gregor' s room. Fort unat ely Gregor
generally saw only t he relevant obj ect and t he hand
which held it . The cleaning woman perhaps was
int ending, when t ime and opport unit y allowed, t o
t ake t he st uff out again or t o t hrow everyt hing out
all at once, but in fact t he t hings remained lying
t here, wherever t hey had ended up at t he first
t hrow, unless Gregor squirmed his way t hrough t he
accumulat ion of j unk and moved it . At first he was
forced t o do t his because ot herwise t here was no
room for him t o creep around, but lat er he did it
99
wit h a wit h a growing pleasure, alt hough aft er such
movement s, t ired t o deat h and feeling wret ched, he
didn' t budge for hours.
Because t he lodgers somet imes also t ook t heir
evening meal at home in t he common living room,
t he door t o t he living room st ayed shut on many
evenings. But Gregor had no t rouble at all going
wit hout t he open door. Already on many evenings
when it was open he had not availed himself of it ,
but , wit hout t he family not icing, was st ret ched out
in t he darkest corner of his room. However, once
t he cleaning woman had left t he door t o t he living
room slight ly aj ar, and it remained open even when
t he lodgers came in in t he evening and t he light s
were put on. They sat down at t he head of t he
t able, where in earlier days t he mot her, t he fat her,
and Gregor had eat en, unfolded t heir serviet t es, and
picked up t heir knives and forks. The mot her
immediat ely appeared in t he door wit h a dish of
meat and right behind her t he sist er wit h a dish
100
piled high wit h pot at oes. The food gave off a lot of
st eam. The gent lemen lodgers bent over t he plat e
set before t hem, as if t hey want ed t o check it before
eat ing, and in fact t he one who sat in t he middle
( for t he ot her t wo he seemed t o serve as t he
aut horit y) cut off a piece of meat st ill on t he plat e
obviously t o est ablish whet her it was sufficient ly
t ender and whet her or not somet hing should be
shipped back t o t he kit chen. He was sat isfied, and
mot her and sist er, who had looked on in suspense,
began t o br eat he easily and t o smile.
The family it self at e in t he kit chen. I n spit e of
t hat , before t he fat her went int o t he kit chen, he
came int o t he room and wit h a single bow, cap in
hand, made a t our of t he t able. The lodgers rose up
collect ively and murmured somet hing in t heir
beards. Then, when t hey were alone, t hey at e
almost in complet e silence. I t seemed odd t o
Gregor t hat out of all t he many different sort s of
sounds of eat ing, what was always audible was
101
t heir chewing t eet h, as if by t hat Gregor should be
shown t hat people needed t heir t eet h t o eat and
t hat not hing could be done even wit h t he most
handsome t oot hless j awbone. "I really do have an
appet it e, " Gregor said t o himself sorrowfully, "but
not for t hese t hings. How t hese lodgers st uff
t hemselves, and I am dying. "
On t his very evening ( Gregor didn' t remember
hearing t he violin all t hrough t his period) it sounded
from t he kit chen. The lodgers had already ended
t heir night meal, t he middle one had pulled out a
newspaper and had given each of t he ot her t wo a
page, and t hey were now leaning back, reading and
smoking. When t he violin st art ed playing, t hey
became at t ent ive, got up, and went on t ipt oe t o t he
hall door, at which t hey remained st anding pressed
up against one anot her. They must have been
audible from t he kit chen, because t he fat her called
out "Perhaps t he gent lemen don' t like t he playing?
I t can be st opped at once. " "On t he cont rary, "
102
st at ed t he lodger in t he middle, "might t he young
woman not come int o us and play in t he room here
where it is really much more comfort able and
cheerful?" "Oh, t hank you, " cried out t he fat her, as
if he were t he one playing t he violin. The men
st epped back int o t he room and wait ed. Soon t he
fat her came wit h t he music st and, t he mot her wit h
t he sheet music, and t he sist er wit h t he violin. The
sist er calmly prepared everyt hing for t he recit al. The
parent s, who had never previously rent ed a room
and t herefore exagger at ed t heir polit eness t o t he
lodgers, dared not sit on t heir own chairs. The
fat her leaned against t he door, his right hand st uck
bet ween t wo but t ons of his but t oned up uniform.
The mot her, however, accept ed a chair offered by
one lodger. Since she left t he chair sit where t he
gent leman had chanced t o put it , she sat t o one side
in a corner. The sist er began t o play. The fat her
and mot her, followed at t ent ively, one on each side,
t he movement s of her hands. At t ract ed by t he
playing, Gregor had vent ured t o advance a lit t le
103
furt her forward and his head was already in t he
living room. He scarcely wondered about t he fact
t hat recent ly he had had so lit t le considerat ion for
t he ot hers; earlier t his considerat ion had been
somet hing he was proud of. And for t hat very
reason he would' ve had at t his moment more
reason t o hide away, because as a result of t he dust
which lay all over his room and flew around wit h
t he slight est movement , he was t ot ally covered in
dirt . On his back and his sides he cart ed around wit h
him dust , t hreads, hair, and remnant s of food. His
indifference t o everyt hing was much t oo great for
him t o lie on his back and scour himself on t he
carpet , as he oft en had done earlier during t he day.
I n spit e of his condit ion he had no t imidit y about
inching forward a bit on t he spot less floor of t he
living room. I n any case, no one paid him any
at t ent ion. The family was all caught up in t he violin
playing. The lodgers, by cont rast , who for t he
moment had placed t hemselves, t heir hands in
t heir t rouser pocket s, behind t he music st and much
104
t oo close t o t he sist er, so t hat t hey could all see t he
sheet music, somet hing t hat must cert ainly bot her
t he sist er, soon drew back t o t he window conversing
in low voices wit h bowed heads, where t hey t hen
remained, worriedly observed by t he fat her. I t now
seemed really clear t hat , having assumed t hey were
t o hear a beaut iful or ent ert aining violin recit al,
t hey were disappoint ed, and were allowing t heir
peace and quiet t o be dist urbed only out of
polit eness. The way in which t hey all blew t he
smoke from t heir cigars out of t heir noses and
mout hs in part icular led one t o conclude t hat t hey
were very irrit at ed. And yet his sist er was playing
so beaut ifully. Her face was t urned t o t he side, her
gaze followed t he score int ent ly and sadly. Gregor
crept forward st ill a lit t le furt her and kept his head
close against t he floor in order t o be able t o cat ch
her gaze if possible. Was he an animal t hat music so
seized him? For him it was as if t he way t o t he
unknown nourishment he craved was revealing it self
t o him. He was det ermined t o press forward right t o
105
his sist er, t o t ug at her dress and t o indicat e t o her
in t his way t hat she might st ill come wit h her violin
int o his room, because here no one valued t he
recit al as he want ed t o value it . He did not wish t o
let her go from his room any more, at least not as
long as he lived. His fright ening appearance would
for t he first t ime become useful for him. He want ed
t o be at all t he doors of his room simult aneously and
snarl back at t he at t ackers. However, his sist er
should not be compelled but would remain wit h him
volunt arily; she would sit next t o him on t he sofa,
bend down her ear t o him, and he would t hen
confide in her t hat he firmly int ended t o send her t o
t he conservat ory and t hat , if his misfort une had not
arrived in t he int erim, he would have declared all
t his last Christ mas ( had Christ mas really already
come and gone?) , and would have brooked no
argument . Aft er t his explanat ion his sist er would
break out in t ears of emot ion, and Gregor would lift
himself up t o her armpit and kiss her t hroat , which
106
she, from t he t ime she st art ed going t o work, had
left exposed wit hout a band or a collar.
"Mr. Samsa, " called out t he middle lodger t o t he
fat her, and point ed his index finger, wit hout
ut t ering a furt her word, at Gregor as he was moving
slowly forward. The violin fell silent . The middle
lodger smiled, first shaking his head once at his
friends, and t hen looked down at Gregor once more.
Rat her t han driving Gregor back again, t he fat her
seemed t o consider it of prime import ance t o calm
down t he lodgers, alt hough t hey were not at all
upset and Gregor seemed t o ent ert ain t hem more
t han t he violin recit al. The fat her hurried over t o
t hem and wit h out st ret ched arms t ried t o push
t hem int o t heir own room and simult aneously t o
block t heir view of Gregor wit h his own body. At t his
point t hey became really somewhat irrit at ed,
alt hough one no longer knew whet her t hat was
because of t he fat her' s behaviour or because of
knowledge t hey had j ust acquired t hat t hey had
107
had, wit hout knowing it , a neighbour like Gregor.
They demanded explanat ions from his fat her,
raised t heir arms t o make t heir point s, t ugged
agit at edly at t heir beards, and moved back t owards
t heir room quit e slowly. I n t he meant ime, t he
isolat ion which had suddenly fallen upon his sist er
aft er t he sudden breaking off of t he recit al had
overwhelmed her. She had held ont o t he violin and
bow in her limp hands for a lit t le while and had
cont inued t o look at t he sheet music as if she was
st ill playing. All at once she pulled herself t oget her,
placed t he inst rument in her mot her' s lap ( t he
mot her was st ill sit t ing in her chair having t rouble
breat hing and wit h her lungs labouring) and had
run int o t he next room, which t he lodgers,
pressured by t he fat her, were already approaching
more rapidly. One could observe how under t he
sist er' s pract iced hands t he sheet s and pillows on
t he beds were t hrown on high and arranged. Even
before t he lodger s had reached t he room, she was
finished fixing t he beds and was slipping out . The
108
fat her seemed so gripped once again wit h his
st ubbornness t hat he forgot about t he respect which
he always owed t o his rent ers. He pressed on and
on, unt il at t he door of t he room t he middle
gent leman st amped loudly wit h his foot and t hus
brought t he fat her t o a st andst ill. "I hereby
declare, " t he middle lodger said, raising his hand
and cast ing his glance bot h on t he mot her and t he
sist er, "t hat considering t he disgraceful condit ions
prevailing in t his apart ment and family, " wit h t his he
spat decisively on t he floor, "I immediat ely cancel
my room. I will, of course, pay not hing at all for t he
days which I have lived here; on t he cont rary I shall
t hink about whet her or not I will init iat e some sort
of act ion against you, somet hing which- - believe
me- - will be very easy t o est ablish. " He fell silent
and looked direct ly in front of him, as if he was
wait ing for somet hing. I n fact , his t wo friends
immediat ely j oined in wit h t heir opinions, " We also
give immediat e not ice. " At t hat he seized t he door
handle, banged t he door shut , and locked it .
109
The fat her groped his way t ot t ering t o his chair
and let himself fall in it . I t looked as if he was
st ret ching out for his usual evening snooze, but t he
heavy nodding of his head ( which looked as if it
was wit hout support ) showed t hat he was not
sleeping at all. Gregor had lain mot ionless t he ent ire
t ime in t he spot where t he lodgers had caught him.
Disappoint ment wit h t he collapse of his plan and
perhaps also his weakness brought on his severe
hunger made it impossible for him t o move. He was
cert ainly afraid t hat a general disast er would break
over him at any moment , and he wait ed. He was not
even st art led when t he violin fell from t he mot her' s
lap, out from under her t rembling fingers, and gave
off a reverberat ing t one.
"My dear parent s, " said t he sist er banging her
hand on t he t able by way of an int roduct ion,
"t hings cannot go on any longer in t his way. Maybe
if you don' t underst and t hat , well, I do. I will not
110
ut t er my brot her' s name in front of t his monst er,
and t hus I say only t hat we must t ry t o get rid of it .
We have t ried what is humanly possible t o t ake
care of it and t o be pat ient . I believe t hat no one
can crit icize us in t he slight est . " " She is right in a
t housand ways, " said t he fat her t o himself. The
mot her, who was st ill incapable of breat hing
properly, began t o cough numbly wit h her hand held
up over her mout h and a manic expression in her
eyes.
The sist er hurried over t o her mot her and held
her forehead. The sist er' s words seemed t o have
led t he fat her t o cert ain reflect ions. He sat upright ,
played wit h his uniform hat among t he plat es,
which st ill lay on t he t able from t he lodgers'
evening meal, and looked now and t hen at t he
mot ionless Gregor. "We must t ry t o get rid of it , "
t he sist er now said decisively t o t he fat her, for t he
mot her, in her coughing fit , wasn' t list ening t o
anyt hing, "it is killing you bot h. I see it coming.
111
When people have t o work as hard as we all do,
t hey cannot also t olerat e t his endless t orment at
home. I j ust can' t go on any more. " And she broke
out int o such a crying fit t hat her t ears flowed out
down ont o her mot her' s face. She wiped t hem off
her mot her wit h mechanical mot ions of her hands.
"Child, " said t he fat her sympat het ically and wit h
obvious appreciat ion, "t hen what should we do?"
The sist er only shrugged her shoulders as a sign
of t he perplexit y which, in cont rast t o her previous
confidence, had come over her while she was crying.
"I f only he underst ood us, " said t he fat her in a
semi- quest ioning t one. The sist er, in t he midst of
her sobbing, shook her hand energet ically as a sign
t hat t here was no point t hinking of t hat .
"I f he only underst ood us, " repeat ed t he fat her
and by shut t ing his eyes he absorbed t he sist er' s
convict ion of t he impossibilit y of t his point , " t hen
112
perhaps some compromise would be possible wit h
him. But as it is. . . "
"I t must be got t en rid of, " cried t he sist er; "That
is t he only way, fat her. You must t ry t o get rid of
t he idea t hat t his is Gregor. The fact t hat we have
believed for so long, t hat is t ruly our real
misfort une. But how can it be Gregor? I f it were
Gregor, he would have long ago realized t hat a
communal life among human beings is not possible
wit h such an animal and would have gone away
volunt arily. Then we would not have a brot her, but
we could go on living and honour his memory. But
t his animal plagues us. I t drives away t he lodgers,
will obviously t ake over t he ent ire apart ment , and
leave us t o spend t he night in t he alley. Just look,
fat her, " she suddenly cried out , "he' s already
st art ing up again. " Wit h a fright which was t ot ally
incomprehensible t o Gregor, t he sist er even left t he
mot her, pushed herself away from her chair, as if
she would sooner sacrifice her mot her t han remain
113
in Gregor' s vicinit y, and rushed behind her fat her
who, excit ed merely by her behaviour, also st ood up
and half raised his arms in front of t he sist er as
t hough t o prot ect her.
But Gregor did not have any not ion of wishing t o
creat e problems for anyone and cert ainly not for his
sist er. He had j ust st art ed t o t urn himself around in
order t o creep back int o his room, quit e a st art ling
sight , since, as a result of his suffering condit ion,
he had t o guide himself t hrough t he difficult y of
t urning around wit h his head, in t his process lift ing
and banging it against t he floor several t imes. He
paused and looked around. His good int ent ions
seem t o have been recognized. The fright had only
last ed for a moment . Now t hey looked at him in
silence and sorrow. His mot her lay in her chair, wit h
her legs st ret ched out and pressed t oget her; her
eyes were almost shut from weariness. The fat her
and sist er sat next t o one anot her. The sist er had
set her hands around t he fat her' s neck.
114
" Now perhaps I can act ually t urn myself
around, " t hought Gregor and began t he t ask again.
He couldn' t st op puffing at t he effort and had t o rest
now and t hen.
Besides no on was urging him on. I t was all left
t o him on his own. When he had complet ed t urning
around, he immediat ely began t o wander st raight
back. He was ast onished at t he great dist ance
which separat ed him from his room and did not
underst and in t he least how in his weakness he had
covered t he same dist ance a short t ime before,
almost wit hout not icing it . Const ant ly int ent only on
creeping along quickly, he hardly paid any at t ent ion
t o t he fact t hat no word or cry from his family
int errupt ed him.
Only when he was already in t he door did he
t urn his head, not complet ely, because he felt his
neck growing st iff. At any rat e he st ill saw t hat
115
behind him not hing had changed. Only t he sist er
was st anding up. His last glimpse brushed over t he
mot her who was now complet ely asleep. Hardly was
he inside his room when t he door was pushed shut
very quickly, bolt ed fast , and barred. Gregor was
st art led by t he sudden commot ion behind him, so
much so t hat his lit t le limbs bent double under him.
I t was his sist er who had been in such a hurry. She
had st ood up right away, had wait ed, and had t hen
sprung forward nimbly. Gregor had not heard
anyt hing of her approach. She cried out "Finally! " t o
her parent s, as she t urned t he key in t he lock.
"What now?" Gregor asked himself and looked
around him in t he darkness. He soon made t he
discovery t hat he could no longer move at all. He
was not surprised at t hat . On t he cont rary, it st ruck
him as unnat ural t hat he had really been able up t o
t his point t o move around wit h t hese t hin lit t le legs.
Besides he felt relat ively cont ent . True, he had
pains t hroughout his ent ire body, but it seemed t o
116
him t hat t hey were gradually becoming weaker and
weaker and would finally go away complet ely. The
rot t en apple in his back and t he inflamed
surrounding area, ent irely covered wit h whit e dust ,
he hardly not iced. He remembered his family wit h
deep feeling and love. I n t his business, his own
t hought t hat he had t o disappear was, if possible,
even more decisive t han his sist er' s. He remained in
t his st at e of empt y and peaceful reflect ion unt il t he
t ower clock st ruck t hree o' clock in t he morning.
From t he window he wit nessed t he beginning of t he
general dawning out side. Then wit hout willing it , his
head sank all t he way down, and from his nost rils
flowed out weakly out his last breat h.
Early in t he morning t he cleaning woman came.
I n her sheer ener gy and hast e she banged all t he
doors ( in precisely t he way people had already
asked her t o avoid) , so much so t hat once she
arrived a quiet sleep was no longer possible
anywhere in t he ent ire apart ment . I n her
117
cust omarily brief visit t o Gregor she at first found
not hing special. She t hought he lay so immobile
t here int ending t o play t he offended part y. She
gave him credit for as complet e an underst anding
as possible. Because she happened t o hold t he long
broom in her hand, she t ried t o t ickle Gregor wit h it
from t he door. When t hat was quit e unsuccessful,
she became irrit at ed and poked Gregor a lit t le, and
only when she had shoved him from his place
wit hout any resist ance did she become at t ent ive.
When she quickly realized t he t rue st at e of affairs,
her eyes grew large, she whist led t o herself, but
didn' t rest rain herself for long. She pulled open t he
door of t he bedroom and yelled in a loud voice int o
t he darkness, "Come and look. I t ' s kicked t he
bucket . I t ' s lying t here, t ot ally snuffed! "
The Samsa married couple sat upright in t heir
marriage bed and had t o get over t heir fright at t he
cleaning woman before t hey managed t o grasp her
message. But t hen Mr. and Mrs. Samsa climbed
118
very quickly out of bed, one on eit her side. Mr.
Samsa t hrew t he bedspread over his shoulders, Mrs.
Samsa came out only in her night - shirt , and like
t his t hey st epped int o Gregor ' s room. Meanwhile t he
door of t he living room ( in which Gret e had slept
since t he lodgers had arrived on t he scene) had
also opened. She was fully clot hed, as if she had not
slept at all; her whit e face also seem t o indicat e
t hat . "Dead?" said Mrs. Samsa and looked
quest ioningly at t he cleaning woman, alt hough she
could check everyt hing on her own and even
underst and wit hout a check. "I should say so, " said
t he cleaning woman and, by way of proof, poked
Gregor ' s body wit h t he broom a considerable
dist ance more t o t he side. Mrs. Samsa made a
movement as if she wished t o rest rain t he broom,
but didn' t do it . "Well, " said Mr. Samsa, "now we
can give t hanks t o God. " He crossed himself, and
t he t hree women followed his example.
119
Gret e, who did not t ake her eyes off t he corpse,
said, "Look how t hin he was. He had eat en not hing
for such a long t ime. The meals which came in here
came out again exact ly t he same. " I n fact , Gregor' s
body was complet ely flat and dry. That was
apparent really for t he first t ime, now t hat he was
no longer raised on his small limbs and, moreover,
now t hat not hing else dist ract ed one' s gaze. "Gret e,
come int o us for a moment , " said Mrs. Samsa wit h a
melancholy smile, and Gret e went , not wit hout
looking back at t he corpse, behind her parent s int o
t he bed room. The cleaning woman shut t he door
and opened t he window wide. I n spit e of t he early
morning, t he fresh air was part ly t inged wit h
warmt h. I t was already t he end of March.
The t hree lodgers st epped out of t heir room and
looked around for t heir breakfast , ast onished t hat
t hey had been forgot t en. "Where is t he breakfast ?"
asked t he middle one of t he gent lemen grumpily t o
t he cleaning woman. However, she laid her finger
120
t o her lips and t hen quickly and silent ly indicat ed t o
t he lodgers t hat t hey could come int o Gregor' s
room. So t hey came and st ood around Gregor' s
corpse, t heir hands in t he pocket s of t heir somewhat
worn j acket s, in t he room, which was already quit e
bright .
Then t he door of t he bed room opened, and Mr.
Samsa appeared in his uniform, wit h his wife on
one arm and his daught er on t he ot her. All were a
lit t le t ear st ained. Now and t hen Gret e pressed her
face ont o her fat her' s arm.
"Get out of my apart ment immediat ely, " said
Mr. Samsa and pulled open t he door, wit hout
let t ing go of t he women. "What do you mean?" said
t he middle lodger, somewhat dismayed and wit h a
sugary smile. The t wo ot hers kept t heir hands
behind t hem and const ant ly rubbed t hem against
each ot her, as if in j oyful ant icipat ion of a great
squabble which must end up in t heir favour. "I mean
121
exact ly what I say, " replied Mr. Samsa and went
direct ly wit h his t wo female companions up t o t he
lodger. The lat t er at first st ood t here mot ionless and
looked at t he floor, as if mat t ers were arranging
t hemselves in a new way in his head. " All right ,
t hen we' ll go, " he said and looked up at Mr. Samsa
as if, suddenly overcome by humilit y, he was
asking fresh permission for t his decision. Mr. Samsa
merely nodded t o him repeat edly wit h his eyes open
wide. Following t hat , t he lodger act ually went
immediat ely wit h long st rides int o t he hall. His t wo
friends had already been list ening for a while wit h
t heir hands quit e st ill, and now t hey hopped
smart ly aft er him, as if afraid t hat Mr. Samsa could
st ep int o t he hall ahead of t hem and dist urb t heir
reunion wit h t heir leader. I n t he hall all t hree of
t hem t ook t heir hat s from t he coat rack, pulled
t heir canes from t he cane holder, bowed silent ly,
and left t he apart ment . I n what t urned out t o be an
ent irely groundless mist rust , Mr. Samsa st epped
wit h t he t wo women out ont o t he landing, leaned
122
against t he railing, and looked down as t he t hree
lodgers slowly but st eadily made t heir way down t he
long st aircase, disappeared on each floor in a
cert ain t urn of t he st airwell and in a few seconds
came out again. The deeper t hey proceeded, t he
more t he Samsa family lost int erest in t hem, and
when a but cher wit h a t ray on his head come t o
meet t hem and t hen wit h a proud bearing ascended
t he st airs high above t hem, Mr. Samsa. , t oget her
wit h t he women, left t he banist er, and t hey all
ret urned, as if relieved, back int o t heir apart ment .
They decided t o pass t hat day rest ing and going
for a st roll. Not only had t hey earned t his break
from work, but t here was no quest ion t hat t hey
really needed it . And so t hey sat down at t he t able
and wrot e t hree let t ers of apology: Mr. Samsa t o
his supervisor, Mrs. Samsa t o her client , and Gret e
t o her propriet or. During t he writ ing t he cleaning
woman came in t o say t hat she was going off, for
her morning work was finished. The t hree people
123
writ ing at first merely nodded, wit hout glancing up.
Only when t he cleaning woman was st ill unwilling t o
depar t , did t hey look up angrily. "Well?" asked Mr.
Samsa. The cleaning woman st ood smiling in t he
doorway, as if she had a great st roke of luck t o
report t o t he family but would only do it if she was
asked direct ly. The almost upright small ost rich
feat her in her hat , which had irrit at ed Mr. Samsa
during her ent ire service, swayed light ly in all
direct ions. "All right t hen, what do you really
want ?" asked Mrs. Samsa, whom t he cleaning lady
st ill usually respect ed. " Well, " answered t he
cleaning woman ( smiling so happily she couldn' t go
on speaking right away) , "about how t hat rubbish
from t he next room should be t hrown out , you
must n' t worry about it . I t ' s all t aken care of. " Mrs.
Samsa and Gret e bent down t o t heir let t ers, as
t hough t hey want ed t o go on writ ing; Mr. Samsa,
who not iced t hat t he cleaning woman want ed t o
st art describing everyt hing in det ail, decisively
prevent ed her wit h an out st ret ched hand. But since
124
she was not allowed t o explain, she remembered
t he great hurry she was in, and called out , clearly
insult ed, "Ta t a, everyone, " t urned around furiously
and left t he apart ment wit h a fearful slamming of
t he door.
"This evening she' ll be let go, " said Mr. Samsa,
but he got no answer from eit her his wife or from
his daught er, because t he cleaning woman seemed
t o have upset once again t he t ranquilit y t hey had
j ust at t ained. They got up, went t o t he window and
remained t here, wit h t heir arms about each ot her.
Mr. Samsa t urned around in his chair in t heir
direct ion and observed t hem quiet ly for a while.
Then he called out , "All right , come here t hen. Let ' s
finally get rid of old t hings. And have a lit t le
considerat ion for me. " The women at t ended t o him
at once. They rushed t o him, caressed him, and
quickly ended t heir let t ers. Then all t hree left t he
apart ment t oget her, somet hing t hey had not done
for mont hs now, and t ook t he elect ric t ram int o t he
125
open air out side t he cit y. The car in which t hey
were sit t ing by t hemselves was t ot ally engulfed by
t he warm sun. They t alked t o each ot her, leaning
back comfort ably in t heir seat s, about fut ure
prospect s, and t hey discovered t hat on closer
observat ion t hese were not at all bad, for all t hree
had employment , about which t hey had not really
quest ioned each ot her at all, which was ext remely
favorable and wit h especially promising prospect s.
The great est improvement in t heir sit uat ion at t his
moment , of course, had t o come from a change of
dwelling. Now t hey want ed t o rent an apart ment
smaller and cheaper but bet t er sit uat ed and
generally more pract ical t han t he present one,
which Gregor had found. While t hey amused
t hemselves in t his way, it st ruck Mr. and Mrs.
Samsa almost at t he same moment how t heir
daught er, who was get t ing more animat ed all t he
t ime, had blossomed recent ly, in spit e of all t he
t roubles which had made her cheeks pale, int o a
beaut iful and volupt uous young woman. Growing
126
more silent and almost unconsciously
underst anding each ot her in t heir glances, t hey
t hought t hat t he t ime was now at hand t o seek out
a good honest man for her. And it was somet hing of
a confirmat ion of t heir new dreams and good
int ent ions when at t he end of t heir j ourney t he
daught er first lift ed herself up and st ret ched her
young body.

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