yet the fact that his foreign puts the circumstances of his death into consideration. The evidence against his murderer is overwhelming, having both eyewitness and a motive, and yet there is still an air of doubt surrounding the case. The man accused of shooting Gersel, unlike him, is what his community considered “normal”, a white-collar man, married with three kids. Just because of this, his life is valued more than that of a young, foreign boy. There were claims that his life would be over if he was imprisoned, but in the end, only one life is truly over, and that is Gersel’s. These stories show that the general attitude towards those who do not fit into societal standards is highly malevolent, both physically and mentally.
Throughout history, cases of alienation are broad and wide, ranging from small cases, on an intimate scale, to much larger cases, where the situation can become a matter in need of national attention. To understand these situations, what alienation actually is must be understood. In Walter Kaufman’s paper, “The Inevitability of Alienation”, the term is defined as “the state of being alienated or estranged from something or somebody” (Kaufman 31). With this act, society, or whichever group is seen as the more powerful, deems that because of certain qualities, a person or group of people is unfit to be a part of their group, or society, and is thus out cast. To understand which qualities are unfavorable, a society must first decide what it is that compose their group. In a paper by Art Gerlach, “Fascination, alienation and fear of contact: Enthnopsychoanalytic considerations on large-group identity”, he describes the seven qualities of a society as, “(1) a shared reservoir for “good” externalizations; (2) a shared identifications; (3) a shared “bad” reservoir for images of the self and object of the group’s enemies; (4) chosen glories; (5) chosen traumas; (6) externalized images of the inner worlds of the group leaders and their ideology; and (7) symbolic depictions that can represent the identity of the large group” (Gerlach 214). These seven qualities are the building blocks of a society, and the fact that segregation is one of these facets says a lot about the state of man. The third aspect of Gerlach’s seven qualities is the one of most importance, as it states that along with what is idealized, societies form ideas of what is to be demonized. This trend throughout different cultures and social groups has led to the phenomenon that is now known as alienation. By separating such people into a group of “other”, not only is the act of alienation at hand, but also a form of dehumanization. Something that is a part of a person, a part of their identity, is seen as shameful and burdensome to others. With this act, the outcast person is made lesser, or at least to feel as such. While in some cases, this act of outcasting persons is unintentional, it still lies as a heavy burden to those who face it. If someone is different, in a way that would make them appear abominable or atrocious to others, they will soon know, and know it for the rest of their life, as they will face hardship with every corner they turn. In Kafka’s story, The Metamorphosis, the theme of alienation is heavy from the start.
Although the strongest feelings of disdain come from his family, Gregor too feels quite a bit of pain and worry because of his condition. What has happened to him is what made him alien. Before his transformation, Gregor was a normal, everyday man, just trying to make a living to support his family. However, rendered almost completely handicapped, in a human sense, by his newfound condition, Gregor cannot help but feel contempt for his ailment, which is now literally all he is, and all he will be defined by. In a paper by Walter Kaufman, the degrees of alienation are thoroughly described, and one of the first discussed in his paper is a dissociation with self. Kaufman states, “Man’s loss of independence, his impoverishment, his estrangement from his fellow man, and his involvement in labour that is devoid of an originality, spontaneity or creativity are so many aspects of man’s estrangement from his true nature” (Kaufman 32). This excerpt is the epitome of what happens to Gregor in his post-transformation life. Not only does Gregor face being outcast from those he loves, claiming they cannot recognize him anymore, but he also loses himself in this battle, being totally devoid of all the things that once mattered anything to him in life. At first, it was just his job, but that he soon lost. After, his mother and sister slowly made his room less and less his. Lastly, and most importantly, he …show more content…
lost his family. They gave up on him, so he gave up on himself. Xenophobia, or the fear of foreigners, has led to many incidents, caused by fear and racism instilled to the masses.
On a larger scale, xenophobia was the reason African Americans had to fight for their basic civil rights throughout American history. However, as seen in the episode “Colors” of the series Homicide: Life on the Street, xenophobia can exist on a much smaller, but still fatal, scale. Young Hikmet Gersel was just seventeen years old when he was shot and killed by James Bayliss. All he was trying to do was find a party, but due to a language barrier between Gersel and Bayliss, intentions were unclear. Gersel approached Bayliss’ doorstep, expecting a good time, but Bayliss took his actions as aggressive. That was when Bayliss retrieved his gun, which he claimed he was using to protect his family, and fatally shot Gersel in the chest. It would later be revealed that Bayliss’ actions were more vindictive than once thought. Throughout the course of the case, it is discovered that not only does Bayliss have past anger issues, but he also has low tolerance for foreigners. Even when his own wife is questioned, she states, “Jim can get very frustrated by people who don’t speak English very well”
(Attanasio).