VLADIMIR NABOKOV
361
changed a nd is now a t the summit o f his power. In stead o f the man
who u sed to lie wea ril y sunk in bed a nd coul d scarce ly wave an arm in
gree ting, and when he went out sh uHIed a long labo ri o usly with a
crook-hand led sti ck, "Now he was sta nding there in fin e shape; dressed
in a sma rt bl ue uniform with go ld butto ns, such as bank messengers
wea r; hi s strong do ubl e chin bul ged over the stiff hig h colla r of his
jacket; from under his bu shy eyebrows his black eyes da rted fresh and
penetra ting g lances; his o ne time ta ng led white ha ir had been combed
fl a t o n either side o f a shining and ca refull y exac t pa rting. He pitched
his cap , whi ch bore a go ld monogram , probabl y the badge o f some
bank, in a wide sweep across the who le room on to a sofa and with the
ta il-ends o f hi s jacket thrown back, his hands in hi s tro user pockets,
advanced with a g rim visage towa rds Gregor. Likely eno ugh he did no t
h imse lf know wha t he meant to do; a t any ra te he lifted his feet
uncommo nl y high and G regor was dumbfounded at the enormous size
of h is shoe so les."
As usua l, G regor is tremendo usly interes ted in the movement o f
human legs, big thick human fee t, so different from hi s own flimmer–
ing appendages. We have a repe tition o f the slow mo tio n theme. (The
chief clerk, backing a nd shuffling, had retrea ted in slow mo tion .) Now
fa ther and son slowly circle the room : indeed, the who le opera tion
hardl y looked like pursuit it was ca rried out so slowl y. And then his
fa ther sta rts to bomba rd G rego r with the onl y miss iles tha t the living–
dining room could prov ide- a pples, small red apples- and G regor is
driven back into the middl e room , back to the heart o f his bee tlehood .
"An app le thrown without much force g razed G regor's back and
glanced o ff ha rmless ly. But ano ther fo llowing immedia tely la nded
right on hi s back and sank in ; Gregor wanted to drag himse lf forwa rd ,
as if thi s sta rtling, incredibl e pa in could be left behind him; but he felt
as if na iled to the spo t a nd fl a ttened himse lf out in a complete
derangement o f a ll hi s senses. With his las t consc io us look he saw the
doo r o f hi s room be ing torn open a nd hi s mo ther rushing out ahead o f
his screaming sister, in her underbodice, for her daughter had loosened
her clothing to let her brea the mo re free ly and rec<,>ver from her swoon ;
he saw his mo ther rushing towa rds hi s fa ther, leav ing one a fter ano ther
behind her on the fl oor her loosened petticoats, stumbling over her
pe tticoa ts stra ight to hi s fa ther and embrac ing him, in compl ete union
with him-but here Gregor's sight began to fa il-with her hands
clasped round hi s fa ther's neck as she begged for her son 's life."
This is the end o f part two. Let us sum up the situa tio n. The sister
has become frankl y antagoni stic to her bro ther. She may have loved
