Did Gregor really turn into a bug, or did he just go insane from all the exceeding amount of work he has faced for years? If it's the latter, we'd have to wonder if all that made him see himself as a bug, clearly, his experiences had to have made him feel like one.
If Gregor really did and it was done intentionally by an unknown party, was it a punishment (for what exactly is anyone's guess) a random act of fate or cruelty or perhaps an intended blessing in disguise, a chance for him to gain some much needed rest and to be cared for by his family for a change? (albeit with whoever did so definitely needing some advice on how best to express kindness and catastrophically misunderstanding what his parents were like) And was his eventual death another act of the world kicking poor Gregor in the face or finally freeing him of the burden of his brutal life and wretched excuse for parents?.
Vladimir Nabokov gave a lecture in which he drew on his own experience as a lepidopterist to argue that Gregor, being a giant beetle, in fact had wings, and therefore was capable of flight, but just never realised it. This interpretation has not caught on.
Awesome Art: The drawings that Peter Kuper (aka, the cartoonist of Spy vs. Spy since 1997) made for a 2003 graphic novel adaptation look appropriately surreal and stark, unless you think he ruined the story by actually showing Gregor as an insect. (Kuper also showed Gregor as a human for some flashbacks.)
Common Knowledge: Despite what popular culture believes, Gregor is never explicitly described as a cockroach, and may not even be an insect, but some kind of bug-like monster.
Delusion Conclusion: One of the most common interpretations of the work is that Gregor's transformation was actually a psychological break that caused him to see himself as an insect. This is used to explain why nobody in the story reacts as if anything supernatural has occurred.
Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory: The book has been subject to countless interpretations in literature classes, to this day.
For most of Chapter 1, after turning into a giant bug, Gregor is determined to figure out how to use his many legs, get on the morning train, and go to work as usual.
When everyone realizes there's something terribly wrong with him, Gregor is relieved: now, they know he has a good reason to skip work.
Heartwarming Moments: Shows up once or twice in The Metamorphosis... if only to set up for the Downer Ending. Unlike most cases, knowing the ending ahead of time makes the Heartwarming that much more fuzzy... and once you've read the entire book, the Downer Ending becomes that much more tragic.
Mainstream Obscurity: The name and book, and Kafka's works in general, are pretty much universally associated with the main character being turned into a giant bug. Surprisingly little after that has managed to penetrate into pop culture.
Nausea Fuel: Gregor turns into a repulsive giant insect that leaves behind a sticky trail of slime. He finds that he no longer likes his favorite human foods, and prefers rotten garbage instead. By the end, he is also covered in wet dust and has a rotting apple stuck in his spine.
Nightmare Fuel: The entire story qualifies as it holds nothing back in showing how horrible Gregor's situation is. Even if you don't believe Gregor actually transformed into a giant bug and merely imagined that he did, it's still horrifying as it shows a young man in the midst of a severe emotional breakdown and getting absolutely no support from his family who actively celebrate when he dies.
Tear Jerker: The entire story is about a perfectly nice and normal young man who goes through a horrible experience he never even remotely deserved and is never shown even the slightest bit of sympathy or kindness from the people who were supposed to care about him. By the end, his death come across as an act of mercy.
The Woobie: Even as a bug, Gregor just wants to live happily with his family. They are repulsed by him and decide that everything's better if he's dead.
now gets used as a popular reaction image today for things such as waking up tired in your bed.
