The World Moves Without You

Being a bug is tough. Being a bug in a society is impossible. One of the biggest takeaways after reading the entirety of Metamorphosis is the lesson that the world will move on without you whether you like it or not. Gregor's predicament is so outlandish and undeserving that it makes his life tragic. Even though his situation in this story is very sad, things like this just happen to people in life. Life-changing events can just happen to someone out of nowhere, and it is up to the relationship sphere around you to act accordingly in the event of an accident. Now no accident will be as unique as Gregor's yet the aspects of how the world continuously moves on without him are very real. Someone can go their whole life like Gregor doing their best and sticking to a disciplined lifestyle, but at the same time things happen, and life isn't always what you put into it. 

One of the best examples of this is demonstrated when he reminisces on the world around him and what life used to be. "Gregor spent his nights and days with hardly any sleep. Sometimes he thought that the next time the door opened he would take over the family arrangements just as he had earlier. In his imagination appeared again, after a long time, his employer and supervisor and the apprentices, the excessively spineless custodian, two or three friends from other businesses, a chambermaid from a hotel in the provinces, a loving fleeting memory, a female cashier from a hat shop, whom he had seriously but too slowly courted—they all appeared mixed in with strangers or people he had already forgotten, but instead of helping him and his family, they were all unapproachable, and he was happy to see them disappear." (Kafka 36) Gregor thinks about all these people, yet, none of them are actually there to help and care for him. Gregor, a person who has lived his life caring for his family's own debt is now not even receiving a fraction of the care that was given to his family. 

The lesson to be learned is this: It is always a great idea to live life humbly and generously, however, don't expect life to owe you anything when life expects nothing out of you to begin with.