Human" After All - Humanity in "The Metamorphosis" by Frank Kafka

Gregor Samsa's sacrifice, already great as it is, becomes even greater when he turns into a giant bug. At first both he and his family are in denial; Gregor attempts to go to work, having "no intention at all of deserting his family", and his mother speaks of the time "when Gregor returns to us", as though he will recover. His sister Grete brings him food and cares for him; "milk had always been his …

…it. Yet Gregor never doubts his family's identity, though he has changed merely in shape while they have changed their entire attitude towards him. Though much of his sacrifice is externally imposed--Gregor hardly requests his family to neglect him--his death is ultimately a selfless and human act, and all the more so because his family does not acknowledge it; Gregor's sacrifice is his tie to both humans and humanity. References: Modern Critical Interpretations: The Metamorphosis