I think that the last sentence represents the change in her parents, more than anything else. Kafka writes, "And it was like a confirmation of their new dreams and good intentions when at the end of the ride their daughter got up first and stretched her young body." Their new dreams and good intentions are focusing on finding their daughter a good husband. It is now what they can do to support Grete, not what she can do to support them. This is a distinct contrast from how Gregor only worked to support them, without much regard for himself.
However, this is only one interpretation of the ending. While reading the ending again, I found that it could be viewed much more negatively than my first interpretation. Their "new dreams and good intentions" could merely have been transferred from Gregor to their daughter. They say that they want to find her a good husband, but in reality she wants to go to a conservatory to continue playing violin. Her parents may have good intentions, but if Grete follows their path then she will be caught in the same web that entrapped Gregor. In this context, Kafka's description of her youth may be sarcastic, or a lament for the beauty and hopefulness of youth that is wasted in the monotony of everyday life.
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3 comments:
well done.
i am thrilled that you are reading deeply and exploring the complex issues within kafka's work.
when you finished that last line did the weight of it all strike you immediately or later on?
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After my firs exposure to this novella I also found the last line to be quite significant. Kafka's dichotomies struck my attention, firstly that between beast and human but also the dichotomy of the institution and the individual as most exemplified by the Samsa's employer and Samsa himself. In the final line I think his parents to be symbolic, taking in the role of the institution being at odds with the wellbeing of the individual, in this case, Grete. To the institution, people are dispenable and easily replaced. Both Samsa and Grete have been dehumanized, Samsa also has been so in the literal sense as well.
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