In the short story, “The Glass of Milk” by Manuel Rojas, the protagonist is a young man who is at risk of losing his life if he does not eat soon. In the short story, “Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, the protagonist is Gregor, a man who has been transformed into an insect. The portrayal of the loss of humanity and what it takes to come back to life in “The Glass of Milk” clarifies corresponding themes in “Metamorphosis”.
The young man in “The Glass of Milk” starts to lose his humanity when he cannot meet basic needs. In his case, it is his hunger. He becomes less human when he focuses on eating, causing him the inability to move forward in his life. He is incapable of thinking about anything besides himself. After not eating for a while the young man starts…show more content… He wakes up transformed into a giant insect. Gregor loses his humanity because his life before the transformation was consumed with working for his family. He was never living for himself. When Gregor’s boss arrives at his house to bring him to work, Gregor’s mom reassures the boss that Gregor is a good worker. She says he did not have a life outside of work. She says, “‘That boy has nothing on his mind but the business. It’s almost begun to rile me that he never goes out nights. He’s been back in the city for eight days now but every night he’s been home. He sits there with us at the table, quietly reading the paper or studying timetables” (1088). Gregor’s thoughts are consumed with working to support his family. He stays at home and even when he is home is working. His life revolves around work and never sets time aside for a social life. Unlike the young man, Gregor does meet his basic needs, but other needs for him are not met. The need to form relationships with people outside of his family and the need to have a positive self-esteem seem to be
