References to food are a recurring theme in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. The food Gregor eats to strengthen his physical body reflects the attention he receives from his family to satiate his emotional appetite. As the story progresses, the family grows apart and Gregor's eating habits decline until, at the end of the story, Gregor dies of physical - and perhaps emotional - starvation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay When Gregor discovers that he has been "transformed into a monstrous vermin" (1640), one of his first concerns is to eat breakfast. Before he even finds a way to get out of bed, Gregor thinks about his hunger. Kafka describes Gregor as "voracious" and says that he wants "above all [to have] breakfast" (1642), before even thinking about what to do about his condition. Kafka's emphasis on Gregor's appetite indicates that recurring references to food can have symbolic meaning in the story. The next time Kafka mentions food in relation to Gregor is when his sister left him some food while he slept. Gregor is "hungrier now than in the morning" (1651) and is delighted to find that his sister has thoughtfully brought him a bowl of milk, his favorite thing to drink. However, milk cannot satisfy him as it did before its transformation. The sister's thoughtfulness in bringing milk to Gregor reveals the family's concern for Gregor and their willingness to offer assistance; The change in Gregor's taste reflects the change in his relationship with his family. While they still care for him and want to help him, the dynamic of the relationship has inevitably been altered. Despite the drastic change that Gregor has undergone, he expresses a strong interest in being as light a burden as possible on his family. . He wants "to help the family to bear the inconveniences which... he was forced to cause them in the present state" (1652). This attitude is further illustrated when his sister arrives later that evening to check on him. Although Gregor was quite hungry because the food he was accustomed to no longer satisfied him, he "would rather starve" (1652) than appear ungrateful by telling his sister that he did not like the food she had provided for him. However, he notices that Gregor hasn't drunk the milk, and takes it away and then returns with a whole series of food, all spread out on an old newspaper. There were old and half-rotten vegetables, a few bones left over from dinner and covered in solidified béchamel sauce, some raisins and some almonds, some cheese that Gregor had declared inedible two days earlier, dried bread, bread and butter and salted bread. . and butter. (1652) The sister's effort to determine what kind of food Gregor prefers - providing him with so many choices - is an indication of the family's interest in Gregor's well-being. Although the parents are happy to hear their sister's reports of Gregor's behavior and apparent health, their concern is still evident. When, over time, it becomes "more and more frequent" (1653) that Gregor does not disturb the food, Kafka says that Gregor's sister is sad when she sees that he has not eaten. His pain once again demonstrates the concern the family has for Gregor. This family's interest, however, wanes as the monotony of caring for Gregor becomes more and more of a burden on the family as they try to move on with their lives. As the story progresses, the sister's meticulous care for Gregor turns into an apathetic and obligatory ritual: no longer paying attention to what could be a special gift for Gregor, thesister, before rushing to work in the morning and after lunch, uses her foot to push food randomly into Gregor's room. Then, in the evening, regardless of whether the food had simply been tasted or - most of the time - left completely intact, he would sweep it away with a sweep of the broom. (1663)This lack of concern for Gregor is reflected both in Gregor's attitude towards his family and in his disinterest in food. Gregor was "filled with anger at having been badly cared for" and "unable to imagine anything that could whet his appetite" (1663). On the surface, it seems ironic that Gregor is angry that his sister doesn't take care of him well enough, even though he doesn't eat what she provides for him. Upon closer examination, however, this paradox vanishes because what Gregor truly desires is not temporal food, but the immaterial nourishment that could come from the love of his family. Although Gregor is not yet fully aware of it, he is not angry that his room is not kept clean or that he is not provided with adequate food; rather, as he later discovers, he simply wants the love and attention of his family. His sister's indifference towards Gregor continues to grow until she stops caring for him altogether. The servant takes over the task in place of his sister. The fact that Gregor's care has been entrusted entirely to someone outside the family conveys an even greater insensitivity to Gregor's physical and emotional needs. According to the pattern, Gregor's appetite continues to decline as the family's concern for him diminishes. After Gregor's care was relegated to the servant, "Gregor now ate almost nothing. Only when he happened to pass the food he had left, he playfully took a morsel into his mouth and held it in for hours and hours, and then again usually spits it out again" (1664). At this point in the story, Kafka states that Gregor reflects on what makes him lose his appetite. “At first he thought that his distress at the state of his room was what prevented him from eating, but he soon came to terms with those very changes” (1664). If Gregor's living conditions are not the main reason for his disinterest in food, there must be another cause. Kafka reveals the reason for Gregor's disinterest in food when Gregor hears his sister playing the violin for the boarders. Gregor "felt as if he had been shown the way to the unknown food he desired" (1666). Gregor finally realizes what he truly desires. He longs for the attention of those who loved him. He wants his sister to come into his room, "sit beside him" and "stay with him not by force, but of her own free will" (1667). Gregor wishes to express to his family his love for his sister and his desire to provide for her by financing her conservatory education. More than physical food, Gregor is hungry for attention, for the emotional nourishment vital to a happy life. He has reached the point where he is no longer interested in living without the love of his family, and therefore cannot accept the life-giving food provided to him by the servant. Gregor's neglect of his physical needs and the family's insensitivity to his emotional needs will ultimately lead to his death. The evening before Gregor's death, his sister says that Gregor "must go... it is the only way" (1668). With this statement, any residual feelings of worry that may have been present are lost. The family sees Gregor as a burden and does not want to have him in the house. Although Gregor still cares about his family and wants those feelings to be reciprocated, his thoughts that evening reflect his sister's statement. "He remembered his family with tenderness and love. His belief that he should.