In “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, Gregor Samsa’s complete physical transformation — waking up one morning to find himself turned into a giant insect — is, first of all, amusingly bizarre. Second, and arguably more importantly, it reveals how uncontrollable circumstances can overpower human intentions and make society misjudge and sideline people with any type of difference.

Despite his initial human consciousness, Gregor progressively begins to function much more like an insect than a person. He forms “the habit of crawling crisscross over the walls and ceiling,” and becomes especially fond of “hanging suspended from the ceiling.” His food preferences shift from “fresh milk” to “old, half-decayed vegetables, bones from last night’s supper covered with a white sauce that had thickened.” Gregor’s human mind can no longer resist the strength of his transformed body and is unable to adapt to his new physical form, so his tastes, voice and interests undergo drastic changes.

Though he wishes to move beyond the couch, Gregor’s little legs fail him, immobilizing him and turning his intentions into meaningless gestures, as he “would have needed arms and hands to hoist himself up; instead he had only the numerous little legs which never stopped waving in all directions and which he could not control in the least.” Gregor, however, tries to remain optimistic about his ability to persevere and maintain his role as the family’s breadwinner, describing his transformation as “nothing but the precursor of a severe chill.”

When he approaches his sister Grete’s violin concert with hope and affection, wanting to show he still appreciates beauty and still “matters” as a human being, his insect body makes him clumsy and threatening. His family sees only the chaos he creates, rather than any hint of love or effort behind his actions. Similarly, his father reacts violently to what he perceives as aggression with immediate physical violence, chasing Gregor across the room, forcing him back into his bedroom and ultimately throwing apples at him — a complete misunderstanding of Gregor’s nervous movements.

Time and again, Gregor’s pure intentions are lost because his outward appearance, body and new form obscure the mind behind it. So, that very determination that he possesses turns out, unfortunately, not to be enough to overcome the physical weakness and struggles he faces daily. His body ultimately becomes defeated, preventing him from going to work and immobilizing him entirely. And, not long after, the dominance of Gregor’s physical, insect body over his human mind leads to his mind’s full surrender and his death.

We, as readers, see how even the purest intentions can go unnoticed or unappreciated when circumstances, appearances or others’ perceptions interfere. Gregor’s optimism and desire to contribute are real and meaningful, yet no matter how hard he tries, his efforts fail to translate in a way his family can understand or value. Though at times Kafka’s attempts to make this story comical are apparent and function as intended, Gregor’s story is still very heartbreaking, as his good intentions are constantly ignored or misinterpreted.

By showing how Gregor is condemned for an uncontrollable physical transformation, Kafka critiques a society that unjustly prioritizes involuntary outcomes over individual intentions. This issue is visible in the world today when applied to marginalized and disabled groups that are constantly, unjustly sidelined. For instance, a student trying to help with a group project may be ignored because they have a speech impediment. A student with dyslexia might have brilliant ideas to share but struggle to communicate them in writing, leading peers or teachers to underestimate their knowledge. Similarly, someone with social anxiety might hesitate to speak up and their quietness could be misread as disinterest, a lack of effort or even incompetence.

Our assumptions, biases and reliance on appearances create walls between people, which further proves the ever-so-large importance of exercising empathy and understanding nowadays.

Judgments create structural barriers that make it much harder for people with cognitive differences or learning differences to succeed, be recognized and understood. These kinds of misjudgments are structural and attitudinal barriers that limit opportunities for recognition and participation and favor an extremely narrow standard of what “success” looks like.

The societal and even familial treatment of Gregor’s transformation is a reminder that we must listen, acknowledge intent and appreciate effort, because, now, determination and kindness begin to matter only if others can clearly perceive and interpret them. When these qualities are obscured by uncontrollable circumstances, they are often dismissed entirely, causing those with the purest intentions to be the most misunderstood.

Kafka’s story opens our eyes to the importance of not allowing appearances or preconceived notions to erase the humanity we see in others.

We must look deeper to recognize the heart behind the actions, rather than focusing on superficial factors that can lead to misreading intent. That’s because, as we see, Gregor’s family fails to recognize his goodness because they never look past the exterior.

Ultimately, we must resist quick judgments and instead commit to recognizing the humanity and intention that may lie hidden beneath uncontrollable outward circumstances.

Michelle Belakh is a freshman double-majoring in linguistics and political science. 

Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the staff editorial.