Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis contains one of the most famous beginnings
             of any short story ever written, stating that the central protagonist,
             Gregor Samsa, woke one morning to discover that he had been transformed
             into a large cockroach. Gregor's parents, unsurprisingly, are rather
             distressed by this development. Despite Gregor's alarming appearance,
             however, they apparently recognize him. However, Gregor becomes a prisoner
             of his room and a prisoner of his body. He can no longer go to work.
             Once, he was the financial and emotion support structure of his family.
             Now he is reduced to scuttling around his room. He is beaten by the home's
             charwoman and fed by his repulsed sister Greta.
             Gregor has helped finance his sister's musical education. He can no
             longer do this because of the way he startles his employers and colleagues
             at the office and his physical, insect-like clumsiness. (Gregor, like any
             dutiful employee at first attempts to go in to his place of business,
             despite his infirmity.) But when his sister plays for company, he cannot
             resistâ€"he comes out of his room to listen to her. Gregor is the only being
             in the house that appreciates the girl's music, but is driven back to his
             enclosure when his appearance repulses the assembled guests.
             At the end of the story, Gregor is dying because of the wounds he has
             sustained at the hands of those who are repelled by his appearance, as well
             as his own inability to cope with his suddenly transformed physique. His
             family is relieved, although they do not explicitly state this in dialogue
             with one another. However, they glory in the sight of their healthy child,
             Greta, who is still beautiful, young, and strong and will hopefully make an
             excellent marriage prospect for some young man.
             Another startling beginning from Kafka comes at the beginning of his
             tale "The Hunger Artist," as the author ...