The Metamorphosis is my personal favorite from all the books that we have read so far. The reason is because it was short, funny, and most importantly easy to read. While The Sun Also Rises was also funny, probably more, I found it harder to read because there were ‘turnarounds’ → what Jake looked like on the outside was not what he was on the inside. Maybe that this was the case because this book is a translation. This is one of the most interesting of things -- did Kafka mean something, and the translation changed it? Maybe, but I’m not German so I can’t say!
I also enjoyed viewing the character of Gregor. I am really shocked by the way his family treats him. Previously, he was simply a paycheck for them so they did take minimal care, but from what can be seen in the book, it looks like they didn’t actually care about him. But on top of that, after his transformation, they simply forgot about him. As I stated in class, Gregor is like a cow who has stopped producing milk, a chicken who has stopped producing eggs, and now, ‘resources’ are just going in with nothing coming out. And this is my main point. How can a family be so cruel as to simply ignore their son? A doctor is sent for in the 1st chapter but there is no reference to a doctor actually coming in and trying to treat Gregor. The purpose of a family is to take care of each other not to just let go. What is really shocking is how Gregor is simply shunned and yet he doesn’t believe that. He stills believes in his family, he trusts his family. What do you guys think? Is it fair or virtuous the way that his family treats him or is it unethically injustice? 
It's worth reminding ourselves that while we can easily picture Gregor as "their son," his family resemblance lately has been, shall we say . . . *obscured*? It's not to say what their obligations to this giant insect might be, but his humanity might be easier to overlook if it's not anywhere in evidence.
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