Whether it is a gender hierarchy or a system of power organized according to income, human society has often fallen back on some form of dynamics of unequal power. Unfortunately, this type of structure can be extremely harmful to both those at the bottom of the hierarchy and those at the top. Members at the bottom are often disrespected and forgotten, while those at the top are power-hungry and can become authoritarian. Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis is a text that exemplifies these consequences. Kafka uses the characters of Grete, Gregor, and Mr. Samsa to demonstrate two different power structures and their effects. The two power dynamics shown revolve around gender and income. Kafka uses Grete and Gregor to show the extent of damage that an unequal power structure between the sexes can cause, and uses the father to show the effects of a capitalist-style hierarchy. Furthermore, within the category of gender power structures, Kafka focuses on the character of Grete to explain the dynamics whereby men are taller than women, and vice versa. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay At the beginning of the story, Grete is described as weak, when she realizes that Gregor is not well: "He had already begun to cry" (15). Grete is also dependent on Gregor, as he provides the money on which the family lives and therefore provides everything Grete has. Grete's dependence on Gregor is demonstrated by his plan for the future: “to send her to the Conservatory next year” (22). Grete needs Gregor to “send” her to the Conservatory, since he is the breadwinner of the family and she relies on him for money. This shows the unequal power structure between women and men, with the latter considered superior because they have control over Grete and her future. Not only are women described as weak at the beginning of the story, but they are also dependent on a man. However, as the text progresses, the power structure changes and women become the predominant sex. For example, Grete becomes Gregor's guardian after his metamorphosis. This alters the power structure because previously Grete depended on Gregor for money and her future, but now Gregor must depend on Grete to bring him food, the substance that keeps him alive. Gregor describes Grete's role by thinking to himself, "She brought him a whole assortment of groceries" (19). Grete also becomes authoritative, especially towards Gregor. This is demonstrated by Mrs. Samsa's accidental terror: “'Gregor,' shouted her sister, raising her fist with a menacing look” (29). Previously, Kafka describes Grete as crying and shown as weak, but now she threatens Gregor and raises her voice towards him. Grete has gone from being at the bottom of the family power structure to being at the top. Kafka describes the two power structures of men being superior to women and women being greater than men through the character of Grete and also shows the consequences that arise from both. of these unequal dynamics. The first power structure that Grete is involved in causes her to be considered an unnecessary member of the family. Because she is a traditional woman, at one point she relies on Gregor (the predominant male figure in her life) to provide for her, which leads her parents to describe her as "a rather useless girl" (25). The second is equally damaging and causes Grete to become power-hungry to the point of suggesting killing her brother. When Grete realizes that she is no longer a worthless child, she longs to have more and more power over her brother. He proves it whenhe convinces his parents to agree to “get rid of” Gregor: “'Dear parents,' said the sister, tapping the table as a preamble, 'things can't go on like this. While you two may not realize it, I certainly do. I am not willing to say my brother's name in front of this creature, and therefore he will only say: we must try to get rid of him'” (41). Grete's action of “hitting the table” demonstrates her self-confidence as she wants her parents' attention and wants people to listen to her ideas. Nina Straus, author of the essay Transforming Franz Kafka's 'Metamorphosis', shows her belief that Grete is here part of two power structures: “It is she who will ironically "bloom" as her brother deteriorates; it is she whose mirror reflects the current situation of women as we attempt to criticize patriarchal domination” (Straus). Straus explains how Kafka manipulates the character of Grete to represent the current power structure that women find themselves in when he says, “it is she whose mirror reflects the current situation of women as we attempt to critique patriarchal domination” (Straus). Kafka uses the character of Grete to show the consequences of two types of gendered power structures, a man being greater than a woman and a woman being superior to a man. The story's protagonist, Gregor, is another character that Kafka manipulates to represent the damage caused by two types of unequal gender power structures. For Gregor the story begins with the transformation of his body into that of an insect. This poses multiple problems, one of which is his inability to communicate. Although Gregor is not presented as a human, Kafka uses Gregor's thoughts to show his role within the family before and after his transformation. Gregor is the only family member who earns money before his metamorphosis; this places him at the top of the family power structure, since “Gregor's future and that of his family depended” on his earnings (15). Here, the narrator describes Gregor's significant role in the family as the breadwinner. This shows an unequal gender power structure because Gregor's father once worked, proving that he can provide for himself, but the women in the family are both completely dependent on Gregor for money. However, after the metamorphosis, Gregor finds himself at the bottom rung of the family's power structure. Gregor becomes completely dependent on his sister Grete, as she provides him with food and water, which he needs to survive. Gregor's appreciation for Grete is demonstrated when the narrator describes Gregor's feelings: "If only Gregor could have talked to his sister and thanked her for everything she was forced to do for him" (24). This is an example of the gender power dynamic of women being superior to men, as Gregor is dependent on Grete. As the story progresses, Grete gains the role of authoritative power in her relationship with Gregor; he no longer cares for Gregor as he did at the beginning of the story. Furthermore, instead of carefully choosing food for him, he now “quickly put some randomly chosen food item into his room with his foot on his way to work in the morning or at noon, only to sweep it away again at night with a quick tap.” . of the broom” (35). Now that she has become more powerful than him, she has lost the respect she once had for Gregor, since she now "throw[s] some randomly chosen food into his room" instead of carefully selecting food that Gregor likes. Both power structures that Kafka displays through Gregor prove harmful and ultimately contribute to his death. The gender power dynamics that men are bigger than women and vice versathey are extremely harmful. Kafka shows the consequences through the character of Gregor. When Gregor is the breadwinner of the family, he has enormous pressure on himself to provide for everyone. This reflects the first power structure of man being greater than woman because Gregor must provide for the women in his family. This not only puts him under great stress, but also prevents him from spending time with his family. While his family sleeps, Gregor leaves the house in a hurry early every morning. This is demonstrated when he says “my train leaves at five” (4). Gregor has to pick up at five in the morning every morning, which suggests that he wakes up even before the departure time and has to go to bed very early if he wants to sleep enough to work long hours. This schedule doesn't leave much time for activities other than work and sleep, so Gregor can't spend much time with his family. This is harmful because Gregor cannot have relationships with his family members if he never spends time with them. The second power structure of which Gregor is a part also has serious consequences. Gregor goes from being the most valued member of the family to being useless. Since he now does not help his family in any way, he is convinced that he is no longer needed. This leads him to fall into depression, where he eats “almost nothing” (36). In this passage, Gregor refuses to eat and slowly starves to death. Through the character of Gregor, Kafka clearly shows how harmful unequal power structures can be. By putting all the pressure on one sex, it creates a situation where one feels useless and the other feels overwhelming pressure to provide. The final character Kafka uses to show the damage of an unequal power structure is Mr. Samsa. At the beginning of the story, Mr. Samsa is unemployed and has debts that Gregor is working to pay off. The father is depicted as lazy, making Gregor pay his debts instead of working to pay them off himself. Here his laziness is shown: “Gregor's father was certainly in good health, but he was old and had not worked for five years” (23). This situation also makes him lower in the family's power structure because he does not provide in any way. While this is not a gendered power structure, it is still significant/vital because it reveals how power works within a capitalist society. Although Gregor is initially unemployed, once the family realizes that Gregor will most likely not transform back into human form, the father decides to work again. This gives him a sense of pride and reverses the power structure. Now Gregor is considered useless, while his father is praised for being the head of the family. The father's pride is shown when he refuses to "take off his goalie uniform even at home" (33). Here he doesn't change because he is so proud of his new job and providing for his family. Although this power structure is focused on money rather than gender, the resulting consequences are equally harmful. One of the consequences of this power dynamic is that the father has lost all respect for his son Gregor. In one instance, when Gregor leaves his room, Mr. Samsa fills “his pockets from the fruit basket on the sideboard” and throws “apple after apple in Gregor's direction” (31). In this passage Gregor's father attacks him instead of showing feelings of concern for his son and his current state. His condescending attitude manifests itself when he is rude towards the tenants staying in the apartment. He sees the tenants as inferior to him since he is the provider of the place where they are staying. His disrespect shows through his actions here: “The.