1. The cleaning woman and Gregor can be seen as equals to some. Firstly, the cleaning woman is another physical representation of a bug; she does menial labor, isn’t treated with respect by those of a higher social status, and is not seen as necessary other than to perform her assigned tasks. In many ways, the Samsa family treats this woman the same way they treat Gregor and treated him before he made his metamorphosis. Both Gregor and the cleaning woman are dehumanized by this family, which I think is a noticeable commentary on the way the lower class is treated by the upper class. I don’t think the cleaning woman minds Gregor for two reasons. One, she is probably used to seeing them where she lives, and the second is that on some levels, she can relate with Gregor in terms of how she’s treated by those in a higher position of power than her.

Quotes that support this:

- “A gigantic bony cleaning woman with white hair flying around her head came in mornings and evenings to do the rough work; Gregor’s mother did all the rest, as well as all her sewing.” (pg. 93)

- “The cleaning woman was there. This old widow, whose strong and bony frame had enabled her to survive the worst a long life could offer, had no particular aversion to Gregor.” (96)

2. Nourishment is necessary nutrition that feeds the body, mind, or spirit. The difference here between the food Gregor is offered earlier, and the music his sister plays, is that this food makes it so Gregor can barely continue to live. He does not enjoy or prosper from it. It doesn’t have meaning to him other than means to survive. However, the music Grete plays for Gregor does nourish his spirit. It his Gregor’s motivation to go a job he hates to pay off debts that aren’t his- to one day fulfill his dream of sending his sister to a music conservatory. This feeds his entire reason for living. In this way, there is a significant difference between the food Gregor is served and the music he lives for. Moreover the nourishment does not come from the violin itself, but his sister. The violin is merely the medium in which she nourishes her brother. This is why the violin falling to the floor later in the story is described as noisy. The violin is only a representative of the nourishment; Grete is what sustains Gregor.

Quotes that support this:

“With his sister alone had he remained intimate, and it was a secret plan of his that she, who, unlike himself, loved music and could play the violin movingly, should be sent next year to study at Conservatory, despite the great expense that would entail and which would have to be made up in some other way.” (pg. 78)