In what ways is Gregor's metamorphosis symbolic in Kafka's The Metamorphosis?

There is a great deal of symbolism in Kafka's
The Metamorphosis. One example is the question of whether Gregor's
transformation is symbolic of his sense of alienation? Is he a bug or is he simply
feeling alienated from all those around him in that he is not
appreciated?

The first line of the story begs the question
of whether the story is a dream:

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As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy
dreams he found himself transformed in hi bed into a gigantic
insect.

There is supposed to
be a great deal of symbolism in dreams, so Kafka may be suggesting, by introducing the
possible presence of a dream, that this might simply be a…nightmare. Gregor works very
hard and it is no surprise that he might worry in his sleep about the job that is so
important to his family. The vision of turning into an insect could actually symbolize
his desire not to have to return to a job he hates.

One of
the themes of the story is alienation and self-sacrifice. With this is mind, it has been
argued that Gregor is a Christ-like figure. We see symbolic references in several
events.

Grete, Gregor's sister, was once very close to him,
but by the story's end, she is demanding that they get rid of him because he has
changed. This is similar to Judas'
displeasure, politically, with what Jesus was doing.

When
Mr. Samsa throws the apples at Gregor, this might be symbolic of the abuse and heckling
Christ receives on his way to Golgotha—because although Christ was welcomed on "Psalm
Sunday," many people were disappointed with the man he was as opposed to the warrior
king they expected. (Gregor is perceived as valuable when working, but not when he
changes and cannot work.) With the apple that lands itself in his
back, Kafka writes:

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One weakly thrown apple grazed Gregor's back but
slid off harmlessly. One direct hit that flew immediately afterward penetrated Gregor's
back; Gregor wanted to drag himself a little further, as if the unexpected and
unbelievable pain would go away with a change of position, and yet he felt like he was
nailed down and stretched
out...

This gives a
description similar to the nailing of Christ to the cross: feeling "nailed down and
stretched out."

(This symbolic allusion continues: even
after the way his family treats him, Gregor's reaction is also
Christ-like:

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He thought of his family with tenderness and
love.

Ironically, the family
(except for his mother) may never have really loved him as much as the money he
made—which he cannot do as a bug. There is also Gregor's death, where the time, three
o'clock is significant, as it is in the crucifixion
story:

In this
state of vacant and peaceful meditation he remained until the tower clock struck three
in the morning…Then his head sank to the floor of its own accord and from his nostrils
came the last faint flicked of his
breath.

It is said that
Christ died at three o'clock in the afternoon. The three lodgers
might be symbolic of the Jewish high priests and elders of the Sanhedrin; the lodgers
were "serious men, all three with full beards." (Three is also a number highly symbolic
in the story of Christ: rose on the third day, died in the third hour, the trinity,
Peter's denial three times, etc.)

Finally, the charwoman
enters Gregor's room that morning. With a broom handle in her hand, she pokes Gregor in
the side to waken him, and finally realizes that he is dead. This might be said to be
symbolic of the centurion's spear, used to pierce Christ's side to see if he was
dead.)