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Silvia Gonzalez

Professor Beadle

English 115

28 October 2019

From Man to an Insect

What would you do if the only people who you trust treat you badly for being different?

In this world we can’t trust anyone, not even our family because they might feel disappointed

and discriminate you for being different. That’s what happened to the main character Gregor

Samsa of the book called, “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka. Gregor's​ transformation was

very inexplicable, but his behavior of accepting the insect that was made was even more rare.

Throughout The Metamorphosis, Gregor represents a hardworking, patient and understanding

man. The arrival of his new body left him breathless but, like every human being, he went as far

as he could. Gregor was the only person who provides money for his family, but with his new

body, he couldn't work anymore. On the other hand, down syndrome is a condition in which a

person is born with an extra chromosome. Sometimes when parents and family received the

news they criticized the baby from being different but sometimes they love so much their child

that the baby change their lives. Parents may be different from others, maybe some parents might

discriminate you or criticize you for being different, or others may accept you from being who

you are, no matter how you are or how you look.

First, when Gregor woke up and saw himself in a different and inhumane body he act

very normal and calm, something very rare and weird. But on the other hand, his mother acted

very different, she was shocked for his new aspect. “​But Grete’s words had quite unnerved the
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mother; she took a step to the side, took in the huge brown splotch on the flowered wallpaper,

and, before realizing what she saw was actually Gregor, screamed in a loud, harsh voice: “Oh

God! Oh God!” and collapsed, arms outflung in total abandon, onto the sofa and did not move.”

(Kafka 12). This quote states how Gregor’s mother reacted on his transformation, she even

fainted for the heavy news that she saw on Gregor’s room. “When we received the news that she

had down syndrome, it was as if the child of our dreams had died. I spent hours thinking back on

my pregnancy and asking myself, What caused this to happen? What did I do to deserve this? I

can remember my greatest concern was who would take care of my child if something happens

to us. I can remember thinking I never wanted to have another child. Instead of being happy

when I left the hospital, it seemed to be the worst day of my life.”(Riper 71). What this quote

really means is that the mother when she first received the “bad news” she felt confused asking

her what did she did wrong to deserve a child with down syndrome. At first she criticized the

baby for being different from society, but she didn’t know that the baby is not different, people

made it different. This quote relates to “The Metamorphosis” because at first when Gregor's

mother saw him with the completely transformation, she was shocked and confused, she also

might asked herself what did she did wrong to deserve a man different from the society.

Second, being a parent with a child of down syndrome it might be very difficult and

stressful but is the contrary. Being a parent with down syndrome everything can change even the

relationship between the families. For example, on the article called, “Living with Illness: A

Change of Plans,” by Marcia Van Riper states, “How do families manage? Despite the initial

shock and pain it may cause, the birth of a child with down syndrome doesn’t always result in

marital or family dysfunction. One mother told me, “Our entire family and marriage is stronger.
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It has changed our view of the world, our view of ourselves and others. It has made us more

giving and less selfish.””(Riper 73). This quote means the difference of the family, instead of

acting cruel and discriminating the child, the family supports the child and the child made them a

stronger family. But on the other hand, on The Metamorphosis Gregor’s family acted very cruel

and inhume. ​“I won’t pronounce the name of my brother in front of this monster, and so all I say

is: we have to try to get rid of it. We’ve done everything humanly possible to take care of it and

to put up with it; I don’t think anyone can blame us in the least.”(Kafka 48). In other words,

Grete got tired of taking care of his brother, but she doesn't see him as a brother anymore, she

sees him as a monster. Grete criticism him in the way of she’s trying to get rid of him, even

though he is still he’s brother but she doesn't care anymore, she wants to get rid of the ugly

monster. Also, the way that she doesn't see him as a human anymore because she calls him “IT”

instead of him.

Thirdly, when Gregor’s just transformed into an insect he couldn’t work anymore but he

felt very proud of the good life that he gave it to his family. Gregor’s family were depending on

him because he was the only one who provide food and money for his family. But when he

transformed into an insect he was unable to work as a traveling salesman. “Gregor said to

himself, and while he started rigidly in front of him into the darkness, he felt very proud that he

had been able to provide such a life in such a nice apartment for his parents and his sister. But

what now if all the peace, comfort, contentment were to come to a horrible end?” (Kafka 21).

What Gregor really means in this quote is that in spite of everything, Gregor continues thinking

about the good of his family, although he has become the insect of the family. Gregor, seeing

that his family is suffering as he is suffering, he thinks of everything possible that he did for the
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good of his family. Even though he is still an insect, he has the mindset of a human. Also, ​Gregor

contemplates life as it was before his transformation when he was the sole breadwinner for the

family. Now that he's a bug, the other members of the family lose both the financial and

emotional security associated with his earnings. This quote relates with Pathos, because Gregor

is expressing his good feelings for his family, even though he is an insect he can still feel as a

human.​ On the other hand, people with down syndrome can not work and they depend on their

parents. “We all born as dependent beings, and we are also confronted throughout life with

longer or shorter periods where we are ‘inevitable dependent’. Speaking more generally, she asks

the rhetorical question: ’Who in any complex society in not dependent on others, for the

production of our food, for our mobility, for a multitude of tasks that make it possible for each of

us to function in our work and daily living. Is the same with people who was down syndrome.”

(Fraser 4). These two quotes relates because Gregor was the one who supported the family

through his honest work, but with the arrival of his new body he could no longer. On the

contrary, people with down syndrome are very helpless and also the same society discriminates

them for being different. For this reason, people with down syndrome depend on their parents or

relatives.

Lastly, when Gregor was transformed into an insect he still cares about his family and

love them a lot, but his family stopped caring about him because they didn’t see him as a human

anymore, they saw him as a monstrous. Because of this, his sister wanted to get rid of him, she

didn’t care if he was his brother and she didn’t want to see him anymore. On the contrary,

Gregor was worried about his family because he was the only person who provided money to

them. “​His thoughts, full of tenderness and love, went back to his family. He was even more
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firmly convinced than his sister, if possible, that he should disappear.” (Kafka 51). This quote

means that even though he is an insect, he still have human mindset and heart in which he cares

and loves his family. On the other hand, people with down syndrome also have feelings and they

can also feel love. “Nonetheless the very success of the film lies in its ability to use the theme of

love to draw attention to the way in which the needs, desires, and the very autonomy of people

with disabilities are habitually subjugated to a clinical view disability.” (Fraser 8). What this

quote really means is that people with down syndrome are the same from normal people, they

also feel love and care for their family as Gregor did. But the majority of time people criticized,

to be more exact, family criticized them for being different from others. They may also criticized

them for their disability or for the way they look, but that doesn’t mean anything, every human

being has feelings. These two quotes relates with Pathos because it refers to the feeling of love in

which every human being in the world feel. It also relates with Ethos because every people have

experienced love, no matter if is a person with disabilities or a person that becomes into an

insect.

In conclusion, some people may be different from others. This can caused discrimination

and people who criticized innocent people. The family is the main person who criticized Gregor

but people with disabilities as down syndrome can suffer discrimination and from being

criticized for their families. Sometimes parents understand the disability that their child have and

they are happy with it, but sometimes no, like what happened to Gregor. These sources and The

Metamorphosis book appeal to Pathos because every human being in the world have feelings, no

matter if is an insect or a person with down syndrome. It also appeal to Ethos because Gregor

and people with down syndrome have their own experience for being criticized for their family.
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Works Cited

“Filming Down Syndrome.” ​Disability Studies and Spanish Culture: Films, Novels, the Comic

and the Public Exhibition,​ by Benjamin Fraser, Liverpool University Press, Liverpool,

2013, pp. 1–33.

Kafka, Franz. “The Metamorphosis.”​ edited by​ Stanley Corngold.​ ​Bantam Dell, 1915, New

York, pp. 1-55.

Van Riper, Marcia. “Living with Illness: A Change of Plans.” ​The American Journal of Nursing​,

vol. 103, no. 6, 2003, pp. 71–74.