Is communication important?

What it means to be human is a very controversial topic, and one of the most human traits is communication. In comparison with other animals, humans seem to have the most sophisticated way of communication. We can express almost anything through the use of words. In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Gregor has a lot of human thoughts inside a bug body. Is it crucial for Gregor to be able to communicate for him to be human?

Yes and no. I believe that as long as the person has human thoughts and traits, and try to communicate they are still human. I have a brother with Angelman Syndrome which is an extremely rare neurological disorder. Because he has Angelman Syndrome he is non-verbal and has severe developmental delays, but I still see him as human. He definitely has feelings and emotions. He has foods that he likes or dislikes, he knows what TV shows he wants to watch etc. but he has a hard time communicating those feelings because he can't talk. Therefore I do not think that verbal communication is crucial to being human. My brother Aaron does communicate in other ways such as bringing me his shoes if he wants to go on a walk, or bringing me the TV remote if he wants the tv turned on. I think that Gregor tries to do the same thing by covering up the picture when he did not want it moved, or only eating the food he likes, therefore I think Gregor is trying to communicate. 

Communication comes in many different forms, you can communicate through words, body language, and actions. Although Gregor's communication is unorthodox he is still trying. During the very first scene, Gregor tries to talk to the chief clerk and explain his situation and later in the book he hides under the bed to try to communicate his thankfulness to his sister. In order to be human you do not have to communicate verbally, but instead, you have to try to make the effort to communicate in any way possible. 

Gregor is definitely not 100% human he does not display the physical traits of humans and as he goes on his thoughts get more and more insect-like but you have to keep in mind that Gregor used to be a "normal" human. Nothing has changed besides the fact that he looks a little bit different. Gregor tries to communicate but his parents don't give him a chance. 

Leave your comments about Gregor/communication below :)

Comments

  1. DJOctober 14, 2017 at 1:15 PM

    Ethan I think you make a very valid point. I also think the key is not whether Gregor was trying to communicate or not. Rather, it is the family's tragic inability to notice that Gregor is trying to communicate. As frustrated as the reader becomes with the family, it's also really difficult to fault them for not realizing a bug (even though it was their son/brother) is capable of communicating with humans.

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  2. Matthew JinOctober 14, 2017 at 5:18 PM

    Great blogpost once again. I agree, communicating verbally aloud is not so much as important as the attempt to communicate in the first place. Throughout the whole book, Gregor tried to communicate to family. I'll add, he is capable of taking in communication. That is a huge human characteristic: being able to understand what others are saying and logically knowing what to do or say after. But in Gregor's case, he couldn't express his thoughts into words. :(

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  3. Gus MansfieldOctober 14, 2017 at 8:58 PM

    I agree with this post a lot. I think that Gregor isn't fully human, but he's still somewhat human despite his inability to communicate. In terms of the connection you draw between your brother and Gregor, the biggest difference is that you and your family actually try to communicate back instead of simply assuming your brother is incapable of any communication at all. I wonder how Gregor's story and fate would've been different if his family operated more like yours.

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