SHORT PLOT/CHAPTER SUMMARY (Synopsis)

The plot of the story takes place in three parts. In part one, Gregor is the sole breadwinner for the Samsa finally, which includes his mother, father, and sister. One morning he wakes up from uneasy dreams and finds he has turned into a bug. His boss and his parents are outside his bedroom door trying to get him to answer. They cannot figure out why he is not at work. Gregor finally opens the bedroom door and reveals himself to all of them. His boss runs away and his family is terrified. His father pushes him back into his room and locks him in.

In part two, the family returns to some degree of calm. Gregor stays hidden in his room, and his sister dutifully and kindly leaves him food and cleans his messes. His parents ignore him, acting as if he were not there. Gregor listens to them in the evening and notices how their lives have changed. Preoccupied with money and financial woes, they do not talk or eat much.

His mother finally ventures into his room, but accidentally catches sight of him and faints. Gregor tries to help, but only makes a mess of things. His father comes in, blames Gregor for the chaos, and throws apples at him, wounding him severely and driving him back into his room a second time.

In part three, the family slowly grows to resent Gregor. Even his sister Grete stops caring for him very well. The wounds from the apples slow him down until he is weak and frail. On one occasion, just when Gregor is thinking about how much he loves his sister, he hears her say she wishes he were gone. He retreats into his room a third time and dies.

In a kind of epilogue to the story that occurs after Gregor's death, his family is happy. They retreat to the country and plan to buy a new home. Totally forgetting Gregor, they are full of dreams for a happy future.

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