Metamorphosis
In the space of three weeks from mid November to early December 1912, a 29 year old unknown Czech author wrote the short story of travelling salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one morning after fretful dreams to find himself mutated into a verminous insect of large proportions.
Having worked his fingers to the bone for five years in a detested job to keep his indolent parents and sister in their luxurious lifestyle, Gregor is now rendered incapable of carrying out his responsibilities.
His transformation is a cry for help, but his craving for understanding and love is met with grief and confusion.
His idle teenage sister jealously dominates his care, his hitherto slothful father is bitter about the loss of family income, and his asthmatic mother can only look on as Gregor's fate unfolds.
The family struggles with his change, sometimes fighting about what to do and whether his sister takes good enough care of him.
There are a few somewhat humorous points when outsiders visit and are unsure about how to react to what they see; early on, Gregor's boss flees down the stairs alarmed.
At one point he is attacked by his distraught father, who penetrates his insect shell with a vicious bombardment of rock-hard apples and is prevented from killing Gregor only by the desperate intervention of his mother.
In his increasingly neglected room, he weakens from the lack of the right kind of sustenance and finally dies from the great wound in his back.
After his death, the brutish charlady sweeps away his remains and his family mourns, then finally rejoins to talk about their struggles and begin to consider their next steps.