370
PARTISAN REVIEW
family: '''you don't need to bother about how to get rid of the thing
next door. It's been seen to already.' Mrs. Samsa and Grete bent over
their letters again, as if preoccupied; Mr. Samsa, who perceived that she
was eager
to
begin describing it all in detail, stopped her with a decisive
hand ....
"'She'll be given notice tonight,' said Mr. Samsa, but neither from
his wife nor his daughter did he get any answer, for the charwoman
seemed to have shattered again the composure they had barely
achieved. They rose, went to the window and stayed there, clasping
each other tight. Mr. Samsa turned in his chair to look at them and
quietly observed them for a little. Then he called out: 'Come along,
now, do . Let bygones be bygones. And you might have some considera–
tion for me.' The two of them complied at once, hastened
to
him,
caressed him and quickly finished their letters.
"Then they all three left the apartment together, which was more
than they had done for months, and went by trolley into the open
country outside the town. The trolley, in which they were the only
passengers, was filled with warm sunshine. Leaning comfortably back
in their seats they canvassed their prospects for the future, and it
appeared on closer inspection that these were not at all bad, for the jobs
they had got, which so far they had never really discussed with each
other, were all three admirable and likely to lead to better things later
on. The greatest immediate improvement in their condition would of
course arise from moving to another house; they wanted
to
take a
smaller and cheaper but also better situated and more easily run
apartment than the one they had, which Gregor had selected. While
they were thus conversing, it struck both Mr. and Mrs. Samsa, almost at
the same moment, as they became aware of their daughter'S increasing
vivacity, that in spite of all the sorrow of recent times , which had made
her cheeks pale, she had bloomed into a buxom girl. They grew quieter
and half unconsciously exchanged glances of complete agreement,
having come to the conclusion that it would soon be time to find a
good husband for her. And it was like a confirmation of their new
dreams and excellent intentions that at the end of their journey their
daughter sprang to her feet first and stretched her young body.""
Let me sum up various of the main themes of the story.
I. The number
three
plays a considerable role in the story. The
story is divided into three parts. There are three doors
to
.Gregor's
• "The soul has died with Gregor; the hea lthy young animal ta kes over. The parasites
have fattened themselves on Gregor." VN note in his annotated copy. Ed.
