Grete is Gregor’s beloved sister and his primary caretaker. She seems to be the only one who actually has sympathy towards Gregor once he transforms. Grete cares for him by bringing him food and rearranges his room to suit his new life as a bug, and she is really the only connection he has with the family and humans in general. As Grete begins to grow older and more mature, she gets a job to support her family which takes away her focus on Gregor. Furthermore, her once enjoyment of taking care of Gregor begins to fade away, and she begins to view taking care of Gregor as a distasteful obligation. In the end, Grete is the one who really decides that Gregor must go.
While this novella focuses on the transformation of Gregor that physically happened before the start of the story, the real transformation that takes place throughout the entirety of the plot is really Grete’s transformation. We see her go from a young, caring sister who protects and pities her bug brother to a lady who is still dutiful to her brother, but also responsible and devoted to her family financially and emotionally. While the story has a sad ending for Gregor, it holds a happy one for Grete, who is now allowed to find a husband. Grete is no longer a little girl!
I think Grete plays a pivotal role in this story as Rachel mentioned. Without Grete, i feel as if Gregor would have gotten no support from anybody and would have been left on his own. However, towards the end of the novella it becomes clear that Gregor is becoming a nuisance to her as well and might even be holding her back because once he dies, she turns into a beautiful young lady and I think that's all Gregor would have wanted for her in the first place.
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