Gregor and Jesus

In this post, I will expand on the idea of Gregor symbolizing Jesus. One of the similarities between Gregor and Jesus are the sacrificial natures of their lives. Jesus spent his life teaching and performing miracles for the good of others. Gregor spent his life working so that he could support his family. Even though he was still young man, he spent his life at the office so that his parents and his sister wouldn't have to work. He hated his job, yet he still went to it everyday so that his family could continue their lifestyle. The idea of timed life was also mentioned in class. Because Gregor transformed into a bug, he now had a limited lifetime. In the same way, Jesus had a limited lifetime because he was destined to die at a certain date. I think the most significant similarity between Gregor and Jesus was their deaths. Both their deaths were acts of sacrifice. Jesus was killed on the cross to save humanity, while Gregor, after over hearing his family complain about him, died so that he would no longer be a burden to his family. Because of his death, his family could go on with their lives. They all get jobs, and Gregor's parents even think about finding his sister a husband. The most significant acts of both Gregor and Jesus' life were their deaths, which is why Gregor is thought to symbolize Jesus. Gregor's dad throwing apples at him also parallels the way humanity crucified Jesus. Gregor was working at a job he hated to support his father and the rest of his family, but once he turned into the bug, his father can't accept him anymore and begins hurling apples at him. Likewise, Jesus was teaching and performing miracles for humanity but they eventually killed him on a cross. Both of them were killed by the people they were trying to help. Many people think that the title "Metamorphosis" references Gregor's transformation from human to insect. However, after seeing the similarities between Gregor and Jesus, I think the title references his death. The word metamorphosis means change, and Gregor's death was the thing that brought significant change to his family's life. Because of Gregor's "metamorphosis", his family could now get jobs and continue with their lives. In the same way, Jesus' brought "metamorphosis" to mankind through his death.