1. Gregor is the provider for the family. He is the only one that works and is the one who chose their apartment and is the reason they can afford their accommodations. Work is a large contributor to the degree in which the relationship between his father and himself is unsatisfactory. We learn that Gregor started providing for his family early in his life and that he is a relatively young man. This implies that he should be starting a life and family of his own, but he is taking care of his family. When Gregor is no longer able to work, his father is forced to get a job. This shows that his dad has always been able to work, he just did not want to and was willing to let Gregor do all the heavy lifting.

2. The central event in the first section of The Metamorphosis is the transformation of Gregor. This is the start of the family coming together. At first they are all trying to figure out what is wrong with him and why he missed work, and when he emerges, the family is unified in their terror of Gregor’s new appearance.

The central event in the second section is Gregor’s second emergence from his room. Before this both his sister and mother finally became comfortable enough to enter his room. Also, his father is at work. This shows the return to traditional roles in the family. When Gregor comes out of his room, he is beaten back with apples by is father.

The main event in the third section of the story is Gregor’s death. His family is seemingly apathetic about the loss and are not worried about the disposal of the body. There is a huge sense of relief in the final parts of the story as the setting is outside of the apartment for the first time.

Each time Gregor is pushed back into his room, the encouragement he gets comes from a larger and larger distance. First Gregor’s father is close and is physically beating him back with a cane and a newspaper. The second time He is throwing apples from across the room, which is not direct contact. The last time, no one helps him until he is already back in his room and they close the door on him. This shows the progression the family takes from being close to him to distancing themselves form his existence.