Answer and Explanation:
Gregor is the main character in the book "The Metamorphosis", by Franz Kafka.
Consider Gregor as a person. What was life like for him before his metamorphosis, at home, and on the job?
Gregor leads a boring and exhausting life as a traveling salesman. He hates his job and despises his boss. The only reason why he does not quit is the fact that he is working to help his parents pay off their debts. But even though he is such a filial son, life at home is not any more interesting. Gregor is not specially loved or cherished.
In what ways do you think Gregor was like a "bug" even before his metamorphosis?
As we can see, Gregor is insignificant - like a bug. His life seems to have little purpose other than suffering of boredom and daydreaming about quitting his job. He has nothing to live for and no one who absolutely cares about him. Thus, in a way, he is already like a bug. We often notice there is a bug around. We take a look at it and then ignore it, since it is of no importance to us. It seems that this is how the other characters feel about Gregor.
"The Metamorphosis" is generally read as an allegorical tale, meaning that the events symbolize a more general human condition in modern society. What do you think Gregor's transformation represents?
His transformation represents what life is like to most of us in modern society - meaningless. We do not work to live, but live to work. Instead of being perceived as complex, colorful human beings, full of dreams, feelings, ideas, and purposes, we are regarded as machines, only valuable when we can do our jobs, but readily disposed of when we cannot.
