In the moment that Gregor speaks his last words, “What now, then?” he seems to not be sure that death is really upon him. After speaking, he “looked around in the darkness. He soon made the discovery that he could no longer move at all” (71). He seems to be searching for his next step, or perhaps some salvation. And yet, as the text goes on, it becomes clear that Samsa is not surprised by his lack of movement: “He was not surprised at that. On the contrary, it struck him as unnatural that he had really been able up to this point to move around with these thin little legs” (71). To Samsa, his own existence has already become an unnatural thing. He is prepared for death, even if he had not expected it in that particular moment.

His last words also take on a deeper significance. He might have meant “What now” in regards to his family, who he will be leaving behind. Right before he spoke, his sister had checked in on him and shouted “Finally!” Gregor’s care for his family’s wellbeing does not change, even after his physical transformation. In his dying moments, “He remembered his family with deep feeling and love” (71).

Finally, Samsa’s last words are a question about death. As a man who has undergone a surreal metamorphosis once already, he is about to change again, crossing over the plane of the living to the world of the dead. Perhaps Samsa views his earthly metamorphosis as a necessary step towards his own death. One possible reading of The Metamorphosis as a whole is as a metaphor for disease, with the industrious Samsa becoming a bedridden creature, unable to work. His last words demonstrate that he is resigned to seeing whatever next form his existence—or lack of existence—will take.