Gregor

As I read The Metamorphosis, I often find myself wondering why Gregor has the mindset that he does when he wakes up as a "monsterous vermon". There must be some sort of backstory to the fact that the thing he worries about most is not that of turning himself back into a human, but the fact that he is late to work. Also the fact that his parents are extremely concerned when he won't get up and his sister is whispering to him trying to help him. His thoughts should probably be thinking about how he's a giant bug and that he's a giant bug! He doesn't even freak out very much. He just goes back to sleep. When he wakes up and is still a bug, he doesn't freak out and faint or anything (much like his mother when she sees him), but instead tries to find the best way to get out of bed and over to the door. What are the reasons for this abnormally normal behavior? His mother and father and boss seem extremely alarmed when they see him, and his boss mentioned that he hasn't been absent to work in years, so this is most definitely not a common occurrence.

Knowing that this hasn't ever happened to Gregor before, why would he react so rationally to his transformation? One of the reasons I can think of is that he is so pressured to be on time at work and that the consequences of being late are so huge that he must focus on getting to work on time. We know that his parents owe his employer lots of money, so maybe he's on a short leash at work. He may lose his job if he's even a little late. Wait. Wouldn't he lose his job if he shows up to work as a giant bug? In Gregor's present state, he can't be expected to do much of anything, as he has trouble getting out of bed, much less arriving at work and doing his job (which requires human interaction) effectively.

The way Gregor acts could be in part to the relationship he has with his parents. As stated before, his parents owe a giant debt to Gregor's employer, and Gregor is seemingly working happily to pay it off. Gregor seems to respect his parents a great deal, especially his father.  Gregor mentions that his father takes long breakfasts, often lasting several hours. He says this in such a tone that doesn't at all question his father's habits, but instead takes them as normal. When his father is dealing with Gregor as a giant bug and is trying to get him back into his room, his father gets a cane and stomps his feet to act menacing, but isn't really a menacing figure. He lets Gregor take his time when he's trying to get back into his room and instead of charging just kind of stands there stomping his feet. Gregor's father is a wannabee authoritative figure.

Gregor's sister, Greta, on the other hand, helps him a great deal at the beginning when his transformation is new.  She initially whispers to him from another room when his parents are freaking out, asking soothingly if he's alright. Later, she not only brings him food, but lays out different kinds of food to see what he likes. However, she handles things he's touched very carefully and with a rag, and as time goes on, helps him out less.

We can tell from these few instances that Gregor's family is a bit off. His father wants to be the stereotypical authoritative father, yet he really isn't that menacing. His sister means well, but she contradicts her good deeds with little unsettling ones that make us question her opinion on her brother. Using the fact that nothing is quite right in his family, I think the reason Gregor thinks so much about getting to work on time and not so much about the fact that he's a bug is because he himself is also a bit off.