VLADIMIR NABOKOV
363
service at any moment and even here only at the beck and call of his
superior. As a result, his uniform, which was not brand new to start
with, began to look dirty, despite all the loving care of the mother and
sister to keep it clean, and Gregor often spent whole evenings gazing at
the many greasy spots on the garment, gleaming with gold buttons
always in a high state of polish, in which the old man sat sleeping in
extreme discomfort and yet quite peacefully." The father always
refused to go to bed when the time had arrived, despite every induce–
ment offered by the mother and sister, until finally the two women
would hoist him up by his armpits from the chair, "And leaning on the
two of them he would heave himself up, with difficulty, as if he were a
great burden
to
himself, suffer them
to
lead him as far as the door and
then wave them off and go on alone, while the mother abandoned her
needlework and the sister her pen in order to run after him and help
him farther." The father's uniform comes close to resembling that of a
big but somewhat tarnished scarab. His tired overworked family must
get him from one room to another and to bed.
Scene II:
The disintegration of the Samsa family continues. They
dismiss the servant girl and engage a still cheaper charwoman, a
gigantic bony creature who comes in to do the rough work. You must
remember that in Prague, 1912, it was much more difficult
to
clean and
cook than in Ithaca, 1954. They have to sell various family ornaments.
"But what they lamented most was the fact that they could not leave the
flat which was much too big for their present circumstances, because
they could not think of any way to shift Gregor. Yet Gregor saw well
enough that consideration of him was not the main difficulty prevent–
ing the removal, for they could have easily shifted him in some
suitable box with a few air holes in it; what really kept them from
moving into another flat was rather their own complete hopelessness
and the belief that they had been singled out for a misfortune such as
had never happened to any of their relations or acquaintances." The
family is completely egotistic and has no more strength left after
fulfilling its daily obligations.
Scene III:
A last flash of human recollections comes to Gregor's
mind, prompted by the still living urge in him to help his family. He
even remembers vague sweethearts, "but instead of helping him and
his family they were one and all unapproachable and he was glad when
they vanished." This scene is mainly devoted to Grete, who is now
clearly the villain of the piece. "His sister no longer took thought to
bring him what might especially please him, but in the morning and at
noon before she went to business hurriedly pushed into his room with
