After a night of "anxious dreams" (3), Gregor Samsa, a young man who works as a "travelling salesman" (3), awakens in his bed to find he has "been changed into a monstrous vermin" (3). Though Gregor lies in his familiar bedroom at his family's home, his body has completely transformed. He now has an "armour-hard [sic] back" (3) and an arched abdomen divided into "rigid bow-like sections" (3). Gregor has "numerous legs" (3) but, because of his shape, cannot move. He lies on his back in bed, wondering how he slept through his alarm and worrying about missing work. 

Gregor considers calling in sick but decides it wouldn't be a good idea. He hasn't called in sick in his five years of employment and worries his boss would show up with a doctor to examine him. Gregor, "unable to make the decision to get out of bed" (5), hears a soft knock on his bedroom door. Gregor keeps his door locked out of habit from his constant travelling. From the other side of the door, Gregor's mother asks if he'll be leaving soon as it's already a quarter to seven. Gregor usually leaves at five. Gregor tries to answer his mother but finds his

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