Part II Summary

Gregor wakes up in the evening to find a bowl of milk near his door. He can't sleep so he crawls under his bed. He finds that he no longer enjoys his former favorite drink of milk. Gregor also finds the bread to be distasteful. In the quiet of his room he reflects on the splendid life he has provided his family with and wonders if that will all come to an end soon.

The next day his sister Grete sees that Gregor hasn't eaten the food she has left. She replaces the bread and milk with an assortment of fresh and putrid leftovers. Gregor waits until Grete leaves, and immediately devours the food. Grete, now knowing what Gregor eats, routinely serves him leftovers twice a day from then on.

Gregor, concerned that Grete will not be able to attend the conservatory if his father decides to use his savings in the absence of Gregor's work. His father no longer works because of a previous failure and his mother is an asthmatic.

Gregor is shocked to hear that his dad has a nice sized pile of money in his savings. There may even be enough to send Grete to the conservatory. This makes Gregor smiles. After sometime he becomes accustomed to his current life but is saddened by his family's distaste for his appearance.

Gregor hates the fear he invokes in Grete whenever she looks at him directly, so he tries to avoid her. The only human contact Gregor has is from Grete's daily visits, minute as they may be he still developes a stronger love for Grete because of this. Gregor hides under a sheet when she comes in, everytime he hopes Grete will pull it off, that maybe she has become more comfortable with him.

Gregor's family finally becomes comfortable with Gregor's condition. He can hear his family talking about him from time to time. Grete and her mother decide that Gregor would be more comfortable if they removed the furniture. They walk into the room

Go back to Main Page.