Metamorphosis

Character Guide

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Gregor Samsa

A hardworking travelling salesman who wakes one morning to find himself transformed into a giant vermin/insect, yet still thinks and feels as a human being.

Grete Samsa (Gregor's sister)

Gregor's teenage sister, initially the only family member willing to enter his room, feed him, and tidy up after him.

Mr. Samsa (Gregor's father)

Gregor's father, a man in poor health who had retired from business and depended on Gregor's income before the transformation.

Mrs. Samsa (Gregor's mother)

Gregor's mother, emotionally distraught by his transformation and initially eager to see him despite being discouraged by the rest of the family.

The Chief Clerk

A representative from Gregor's firm who comes to the Samsa home when Gregor fails to show up for work, growing suspicious of his absence.

The Maid/Cook

A household servant present at the start who becomes frightened and asks to be dismissed once she learns what has happened to Gregor.

Glossary

vermin (Ungeziefer)

The German word Kafka uses to describe what Gregor becomes; it means something like 'unclean creature not fit for sacrifice,' broader and more ambiguous than a specific insect, often translated as 'vermin' or 'bug.'

charwoman

A hired cleaning woman who does heavy household work; in the novella she is the elderly, blunt-spoken servant who cleans the Samsa flat and eventually disposes of Gregor's body.

chief clerk

A supervisory office employee sent by Gregor's firm to check on his unexplained absence, reflecting early 20th-century white-collar workplace hierarchy.

travelling salesman

Gregor's occupation before his transformation, involving constant travel to sell textile samples — a demanding, alienating job Kafka depicts as soul-crushing even before the metamorphosis.

tram

An electric streetcar used for urban and short-distance travel, referenced in the closing scene as the family rides out into the countryside.

gilded frame

A frame covered in gold leaf or gold paint; mentioned as housing the picture of the fur-clad lady in Gregor's room, one of the few personal touches in his otherwise plain space.

fur boa

A long, scarf-like fur wrap worn around the neck or shoulders, part of the fashionable lady's outfit in the picture Gregor treasures.

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