Name: ______________
Block: __________
The Metamorphosis: An Analysis
Part 1: The Plot
Climax
Rising Action
Exposition
Falling Action
Resolution (Denouement)
1. Before charting the plot structure it is important to identify the climax. The climax is the turning point in the
action - the main conflict comes to a crisis point and something significant usually happens. In order to identify
this point, the primary conflict must be identified.
 Person vs. self
 Person vs. person
 Person vs. society
 Person vs. nature
 Person vs. supernatural
2. What are the conflicts in The Metamorphosis, and which one is primary? Why?
3. What is the climax in The Metamorphosis?
4. What is the exposition?
5. What is the rising action?
6. What is the falling action?
7. What is the resolution?
Part 2: Structure in The Metamorphosis
Questions
Where is Gregor at the
beginning?
Part 1
Who is with Gregor?
What other characters
emerge?
Where does Gregor go?
What happens to Gregor
there?
Where is Gregor at or
near the end of the
section?
What similarities do you observe among the sections?
Part 2
Part 3
Part 3: Character Development
There is more than one metamorphosis in The Metamorphosis! Find specific quotations to characterize
members of the Samsa family during the course of the story and indicate the significance of each.
Time
1. Before Gregor’s
metamorphosis:
Quotation
Significance
2. During the
present time of Part
1:
Quotation
Significance
3. During the
present time of Part
2
Quotation
Significance
4. During the
present time of Part
3
Quotation
Significance
5. Closing
Quotation
Significance
Mr. Samsa
Mrs. Samsa
Gregor
Grete
Part 4: Compare and contrast the opening and concluding paragraphs.
Element
Characters present
Physical positions
Setting
“Dreams”
Mood
Opening Paragraph
Closing Paragraph