The Metamorphosis (Novel review)

What happens when we lose our humanness because we become so derided by our ugly side that we cannot be valued?

Franz Kafka's eerie tale, The Metamorphosis describes a traveling salesman that one day wakes up to find himself turned into a giant beetle. While he is, after the initial shock he induced, allowed to remain with the family, his family soon begins to view him less as an actual family member and more of, well, a giant pest. This story poses a very deep question... which is above this paragraph.

I think the story is a pretty good reflection of how critical society can be. When something goes wrong and we "transform" to something ugly, society is quick to turn its back on us, even if the most caring are willing to try to mitigate the pain. We are viewed with disdain; society no longer views us as equals, and they will be more than happy to dispose of us.
It's a good message about social acceptance - or rather, a good critique. While I can't exactly spoil the story to anyone that's interested, I will say that Kafka has certainly done a good job exploring how society reacts to the "transformed". It's a wake-up call to show that we cannot allow ourselves to turn into the same arbiters that condemn the "transformed". We must work to solve the problem, and instead of banishing the "transformed" we must find a way to integrate them so that they feel as human as us. After all, in God's eyes, we're all equals.

Anyway, you viewers should probably try this book. It's got a pretty interesting plot and it has pretty deep philosophical implications. Go check it out! :)