End of the Road

Althought we should be happy that there are very few classes left in our senior year, our English class has been slightly depressing. The modernist text, "The Metamorphosis" forces us to realize the injustices and harsh realities of our society through a man who transforms into a "monstrous vermin." While reading, we've frequently discussed the mistreatment Gregor faces along with our sympathy for him. The sadness we feel at his situation makes me think of how we as a people usually feel sadness when it is already too late. Gregor has already transformed into a bug which makes it easier for us to see how much he has been walked all over and isolated from his own family. Even though his family did some particularly heinous actions toward him, we are sometimes guilty of doing similar things on a smaller scale.

One thing Gregor's family does is exclude him. He is only a part of the family as long as he can contribute. As members of today's society, we tend to be focused on our own agenda. This can sometimes cause us to be so wrapped up in our own lives, that we do not stop to assist and include others. This is not necessarily wrong but excluding people, intentionally or unintentionally, is a pretty mean thing. No one has it easy, and by isolating others it just makes it harder for them to feel accepted by their peers and society.

Another way Gregor is rejected by his family is when he can no longer work. This can be compared to having a friend for convenience. Sometimes people only come to certain people when they need a favor or something they have. Under the right circumstances, this can be acceptable, however, using someone for your own benefit without considering their feelings, is selfish and disrespectful.

Many of us are guilty of doing things to avoid the things we find socially unacceptable. Although we may not be as severe as Gregor's parents, we do have moments where we choose not to deal with the people who are to different or difficult to understand. Since almost all of us are going to college in the fall, I hope that we can shed these habits and be even more accepting people. We all felt saddened by Gregor's transformation and how it affected him, but we are forgetting that the individual injustices are what caused him to change into a bug. The sympathy we feel for Gregor should be the same sympathy we feel for all those we face injustice due to our own prejudices.

***the video is from "What Would You Do?" on ABC. This is one of the less serious topics, but it shows who sometimes a simple prejudice can cause issues and hurt others. Because white barbers are not accepted, he is subjected to discrimination.