ob and his family relationships and now in the body of an insect. Perhaps this is why he accepts his fate with such equanimity--he has always thought of himself as being punished for some sin he did not understand. This is simply a new form of punishment. Being human is seen here as being vulnerable to punishment and to the vague sense of guilt that permeates existence. The transformation of Gregor may be a form of punishment by God for those crimes Gregor feels have always been his fault even though he has no idea what those crimes may have been.
In spite of the fact that Gregor clearly hates the world in which he worked, he also shows that he wants desperately to return to it. When the chief clerk visits, Gregor wants to follow him to the office and resume his duties. His humanness calls out to him to follow the prescrib
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