The Selfless Gregor SamsaIn Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", some might argue that Gregor was a terrible person and that his metamorphosis was not real, but only an illustration of the person terrible that he had become. However, it can be argued much more forcefully that he was an extremely selfless person and his actions were largely taken for granted by his family. Kafka emphasized the common practice of altruistic actions that were not appreciated through his story of Gregor and his family. One of the reasons Gregor was selfless was the fact that he was the reason he and his family lived in such a nice apartment. Gregor was the one who had a job and provided for his family and he did it with a great sense of pride. Because he wanted to give his family the best life possible, he hired a cook and a servant and he hoped to send his sister, Grete, to the conservatory to further improve what he believed to be musical talents. He sacrificed his social life for his work; never make friends and never go out at night. His only pastime was worrying, sitting alone in his room. During his five years on the job, he was never absent. Always ready to go on tour as soon as possible, he never took advantage of the time off. When he returned, the other employees were still eating breakfast. He even tells us that without his parents' debt, he would have stopped a long time ago. "If I hadn't held my tongue because of my parents, I would have given my notice long ago. I would have gone to the principal and told him from the bottom of my heart exactly what I thought" (337 -338) .An interesting element of the story is Gregor's lack of panic when he realizes what he has become. This is...... middle of paper......in. For the past five years, he provided for his family, and when he needed it, they didn't care. After his transfiguration, they all found jobs, something Gregor thought they were incapable of doing. After his death, they left the apartment, too expensive for them, leaving all their memories and starting again without him. Gregor maintained his altruistic attitude throughout "The Metamorphosis". His only desire was to help his family and give them a good life. But after his transformation, everything he had done was simply forgotten. It was as if he had never done anything. He was largely unknown and was nothing more than a burden. Kafka tells the story of a man who gave everything to a family who took him for granted. They only cared about him when he became a nuisance and wanted him gone. Such is the selfless life of Gregor Samsa.