The Metamorphosis characters

Appears from the start

A traveling salesman who wakes one morning to find that he has been transformed into a large, insect-like creature. His first concerns are practical: he worries about missing his train, keeping his job, and supporting his family, whose debts he has been working to pay off. Though trapped in a monstrous body that his family finds repellent, he retains his human thoughts and feelings, and he strains to understand and adapt to his new condition while remaining devoted to the household he can no longer provide for.

Appears from the start

Gregor's younger sister, a teenage girl who is the first to take on the task of caring for him after his transformation. She brings him food, learns what he can eat, and cleans his room, showing more patience and tenderness toward him than anyone else in the family at first. She also has an interest in music and hopes one day to study the violin.

Also known as Gregor's father

Appears from the start

Gregor's father, who before Gregor's transformation had been out of work and dependent on his son's income to support the family and pay off old debts. Confronted with his changed son, he responds with fear and aggression, driving Gregor back into his room. He takes up employment again and grows more forceful and hostile as the household is reshaped around Gregor's presence.

Also known as Gregor's mother

Appears from the start

Gregor's mother, a frail woman troubled by asthma, who is torn between horror at her son's monstrous form and lingering maternal affection for him. Unable to bear the sight of him for long, she is easily overwhelmed and faints, yet she resists the idea that the creature is no longer truly her son.

Also known as The office manager

Appears from the start

The office manager from Gregor's firm, who arrives at the family's flat when Gregor fails to appear at work, suspicious of his absence. When Gregor finally opens his door and reveals his transformed body, the clerk is horrified and flees the apartment, confirming that Gregor's livelihood is lost.

Also known as The three boarders

First appears in chapter 3

Three particular, demanding tenants the family takes into their home for income after Gregor can no longer support them. Insisting on order and cleanliness, they are disturbed when they finally catch sight of Gregor and immediately announce that they will leave without paying, deepening the family's resentment of the burden he has become.

Also known as The cleaning woman

First appears in chapter 3

A tough, elderly cleaning woman hired by the family after their circumstances change. Unlike the others, she is not frightened by Gregor and treats him with rough indifference, addressing him with blunt nicknames. She later discovers his body and takes it upon herself to dispose of it.