Grete's violin, like the print of the lady with the muff, is one of the story's few objects of beauty. Gregor's deepest desire before his transformation was to pay for Grete to study violin at the Conservatorium. The violin symbolizes their loving bond and shows Gregor's altruistic, sympathetic character. Yet the violin also leads to Gregor's biggest mistake, the night before his death. While Grete plays for the lodgers, Gregor gets so excited and hopeful that he crawls too close. The others misread his gesture as threatening, and his intentions completely fail—though he wanted to enjoy the music and support his sister, he ends up destroying both the evening and the family's income from the lodgers. The violin is closely linked to the themes of family and of intentions vs. outcomes, and it represents both the best parts of Gregor's character, namely his love and support of Grete and his desire to take part in a beautiful experience, and the sad truth that he can never communicate such things again. Trapped in a cockroach body, unable to share the moment of beauty, his life is not worth living.
Grete's violin Quotes in The Metamorphosis
The The Metamorphosis quotes below all refer to the symbol of Grete's violin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Section 3
Quotes
He felt hardly any surprise at his growing lack of consideration for the others; there had been a time when he prided himself on being considerate.
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Was he an animal, that music had such an effect on him?
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Grete's violin Symbol Timeline in The Metamorphosis
The timeline below shows where the symbol Grete's violin appears in The Metamorphosis. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Section 2
...used to it. Gregor also recalls how he'd hoped to support Grete's future studies in violin at the Conservatorium. Gregor's father decides that he must go back to work, as old...
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Section 3
...first time since the transformation as far as Gregor knows, Grete begins to play the violin. The lodgers ask her to come play for them in the living room. Gregor's mother...
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...father. At first, the lodgers are amused, but then they become concerned. Grete gives the violin to her mother and runs to make the lodgers' beds. Gregor's father tries to push...
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...lodgers follow suit. Gregor's father and mother are extremely upset, and Gregor's mother drops the violin. Gregor stays still on the floor.
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