1. I think Christopher Plummer played the role of Professor Vladimir Nabokov very well in this film. His lecture was a straightforward summary about the story “The Metamorphosis”. His lecture helped me understand the story better by retelling the story in details. The drawings of the “beetle” help me visualize what kind of insect Gregor was and how Gregor would look out the window. The professor brought life to this story because of the way he explained it. 2. When I read the first sentence to the story I had no idea what this story would be about. The first sentence described a striking image to me when Gregor wakes up and “he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect” (pg. 428). When I first read this I kept wondering why Gregor turned into an insect overnight. I think Kafka chose an insect because insect are not species that are loved or cared for which could relate to how Gregor’s family members behaved towards him after he was transformed.
At first all of the family members act sympathetic towards Gregor after his transformation but their feeling of sympathy change to feelings of disgust and ashamed. Grete becomes his caregiver and tries to figure out what kind of food he favors since his transformation but she can barely stand to be in the same room with him because of his appearance. The mother hopes Gregor will change back into his human form but she faints every time she sees him. The father shows the least sympathy and even attacks Gregor twice but the father never suggest killing him or forces Gregor to leave the house. In part 2 Gregor’s father takes his anger out on him and starts throwing apples at him. “An apple thrown without much force grazed Gregor’s back and glanced off harmlessly. But another following immediately landed right on his back and sank in…” (pg.449). All of Gregor’s family members show a negative behavior towards him after he is transformed but why? Gregor was the main provider for his whole family until his transformation. When the family realizes Gregor could not support their financial problems anymore, the family’s behavior changes toward him. The Samsa family had a lot of issues because they viewed Gregor as a financial provider instead of a son or a brother which is also a striking image to me.

3. The absurd theme is when Gregor wakes up and “he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect” (pg.428) which is an absurd thing to happen. Gregor nor his family show any astonishment to Gregor transformation. They never try to get a doctor to cure him or even wonder why or how his transformation happened. They all just try to adapt to the absurd situation and act like it is a disgusting illness. Their reactions and responses to Gregor transformation show a sense of absurdity too. Even Gregor does not seem surprised after discovering his transformation, nor does he even think how it happened or how to cure it. Instead, he thinks about his job and quotes “Oh God, he thought, what an exhausting job I’ve picked on! Traveling about day in, day out. It’s much more irritating work than doing the actual business in the office, and on top of that there’s the trouble of constant traveling, of worrying about train connections, the bed and irregular meals, casual acquaintances that are always new and never become intimate friends” (pg. 429). This quote kind of shows that Gregor was already isolated from life before his transformation. His job as a traveling salesman caused him to never have a lasting relationship with anyone because he was always traveling around. Now, Gregor is stuck at home after being transformed and he is still unable to form a relationship with anyone. Alienation is another theme that stands out in this story. Before Gregor transformed into an insect his life already sounded miserable, unappreciated and isolated from a social life. At a young age, Gregor was forced by his father to take over a job he hated to support the whole Semsa family and to pay back his father’s debt. I think one of Kafka main point in this story was that Gregor was already living an alienated life like a vermin. The Title of the story is also a big theme to this story. “The Metamorphose is found within the home and the family, where parents and adult children live together without caring for one another, where people talk without communicating” (pg.426).
4A. “And indeed there will be time/To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”/Time to turn back and descend the stair,/With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—/(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”)” (pg. 483). I think these lines describe a man who has an insecurity or fear about a situation he is in. He persuades himself that “there will be time, so therefor he is indicating there is no need to rush. He “dare” himself to do something but second guesses the thought and “turns back”. He is worried about a “bald spot” on his head and is concern what people will say about it. He acts like he has an ambition for something but want act about it because of his insecurity about the situation. “And I have known the arms already, known them all—/Arms that are braceleted and white and bare/(But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!)/Is it perfume from a dress/That makes me so digress? /Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl./And should I then presume?/And how should I begin?” (pg.483-484). These line sum up what the problem is for Prufrock. He is scared to talk to a women he sees because he feels that she would not be interested in him. His overwhelmed insecurity want let him overcome his shyness. I am assuming that the women are young because he describes them as “White” and “Bare” and since he quotes “known them already” I think he is indicating that he has had this problem before.
4B. “And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!/Smoothed by long fingers,/Asleep … tired … or it malingers,/Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me./Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,/Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?” (pg.484). Here I think Prufrock is indicating that he is being lazy on a late afternoon eating sweet foods “tea and cake” and he is to “tired” to do anything so he is trying to “malingering” or faking it to get out of doing something important. These lines were memorable to me because they remind me of a lazy day. For example, on a lazy Sunday or holiday, after eating a big meal and getting full, all I want to do is be lazy and sleep but my mom wants me to help clean the dishes and I complain “I’m too tired!” to get out of doing the dishes. “I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, /And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,/And in short, I was afraid” (pg.484). I remember this quote because the quote is basically stating that he messed his chance at love. He starts recognizing that “the moment of my greatness flicker”, that moment he had a chance at love, was gone. His insecurity overpowered him to be scared to take a chance at love and now he sees that “the moment of my greatness” has come and gone.