Metamorphosis

The theme of metamorphosis allows the reader to understand the narrator’s transformation from someone longing for the return of a lover to one who is ready to accept the eventual reality of that return.

The narrator claims that “at fifteen I still thought the electric pencil sharpener separated me from adult life” (1). It is an absurd idea that the type of pencil sharpener one uses marks the shift to adulthood. But the narrator is interested in finding ways to mark transitions. She claims that if “I could turn into any bird, I’d choose a swallow” (1). The narrator is able to imagine herself as many things, but she chooses to stay and wait for what will happen to her.

Throughout the novella, the narrator repeats that “unlearning yourself is more important than knowing yourself” (2). Knowing yourself suggests that one is who they are and accepting...