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Illustrated portrait of Mrs. Samsa

A character in The Metamorphosis

Mrs. Samsa

Gregor’s mother, divided between love for her son and terror at the sight of his transformed body.

What they want in The novella’s account

To keep both her son and the rest of the household safe while refusing, as long as she can, to accept that the old Gregor is gone.

The book

Cover of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
The MetamorphosisFranz Kafka, 1915

An impossible transformation exposes how quickly love can become a judgment about usefulness.

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At a glance

Family
Gregor and Grete’s mother
Work
Sews for a clothing shop
Conflict
Love for Gregor and fear of his body

Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Mrs. Samsa wants to believe that Gregor remains her son and may recover, but her physical reactions repeatedly overwhelm that belief. She cannot look at him without panic and cannot consistently protect him from his father.

She also begins sewing for a shop to help replace Gregor’s income. Kafka gives her real attachment, fear, fatigue, and financial pressure rather than making her response a simple test of maternal love.

How the book draws them

Appearance, manner, and tone — as the book sketches them, in our words.

  • Middle-aged Central European womanShe belongs clearly to Gregor’s parents’ generation.
  • Practical domestic dressThe clothes reflect home labor and reduced finances.
  • Anxious divided expressionLove and fear pull in opposite directions.
  • Slightly worn bearingWork and caregiving have exhausted her.
  • Close engraved bustNo sewing, furniture, or transformed figure appears.
  • Muted violet accentThe color carries her emotional conflict.
What happens to Mrs. SamsaHow the book leaves them, what happened after, and what the record says. Open when you're ready.

Mrs. Samsa fails to stop her husband’s most violent confrontation with Gregor and later agrees that the situation cannot continue. After Gregor’s death, she joins the family’s relieved journey into the countryside.

If you like The Metamorphosis

Four books that share themes, tone, or setting with this one.

If you like Franz Kafka

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