The Metamorphosis – A Detailed Event-Based Summary

 

🛌 Awakening as an Insect

One morning, Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, awakens from uneasy dreams to find himself transformed into a giant insect. He tries to get out of bed but finds it difficult to control his heavy, unfamiliar body. Realizing he’s late for work, he becomes anxious, considering how to explain his situation to his boss.

🚪 Family and Company Visit

Gregor repeatedly fails to get out of bed as his limbs move uncontrollably. His family knocks on the door, worried, and the company’s chief clerk arrives to check on him. While Gregor can understand others, his voice has become insect-like, making communication impossible.

😱 Revealing the Monster

Gregor finally manages to open the door, revealing his monstrous form. The clerk recoils in horror, his mother faints, and his father drives him back into the room using a newspaper and cane. Gregor is now trapped and isolated from the world.

🍴 A Lonely Survival

Confined to his room, Gregor begins a solitary existence. His sister Grete brings him food, initially offering milk and bread, which he rejects. Eventually, she discovers he prefers rotting scraps and changes his diet accordingly.

💼 Changes in the Family

With Gregor no longer working, the family struggles financially. His father becomes a bank guard, his mother takes up sewing, and his sister works as a sales assistant. Gregor gradually becomes a burden, and his room is left increasingly unkempt.

🪑 Emptying the Room

One day, the mother suggests clearing out Gregor’s room. As furniture is moved, Gregor fears losing the last traces of his human life. He clings to a picture on the wall. The sight of him doing so causes his mother to faint. His father returns and hurls an apple at Gregor, wounding him deeply.

🧹 Gregor’s Decline

Wounded and weakened, Gregor spends his days hidden. A cleaning woman is hired, but she treats him with indifference or even mockery. He grows weaker with each passing day.

 

🏠 Lodgers Arrive

To cover household expenses, the family rents out rooms to three meticulous lodgers. Gregor, afraid of being seen, remains hidden. When Grete plays violin for the guests, Gregor is drawn out, enchanted by her music.

🎻 Final Music

The guests are horrified at Gregor’s appearance and threaten to sue the family. This event pushes the family to the brink. Grete insists that Gregor must leave, calling him a burden they can no longer bear. Gregor hears this and understands.

🌑 Silent Death

That night, Gregor quietly dies in his room, choosing death so as not to burden his family any longer. The next morning, the cleaning woman finds his body and informs the family.

🌞 A New Beginning

Initially shocked, the family soon feels relieved and free. They clean the house, plan for a new life, and take a walk in the sunshine, leaving behind their past. The parents notice that Grete has matured into a woman ready for marriage. A hopeful future lies ahead.