How Accurate Are These Literary Pests? – Part 1
When works of fiction have characters that are based on real animals or insects, they are often dramatized for the sake of the story. But many stories, especially children’s fiction, seem to adhere to the basic facts of the animal while adding some more appealing characteristics to make the characters more likable than their real life counterparts. After all, wouldn’t you want to read more about a friendly talking ant than the real insect that is neither talkative nor pleasant? It can be fun to suspend our disbelief when reading these stories, but for people who want the facts, it’s essential to examine the fictional pests to see how they compare to the real ones. Let’s take a look at five of the most well-known pests from various fiction genres and see if the fact that most of them can speak is the only false attribute.
Gregor the Bug – The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
This novella is the only one on the list that isn’t commonly associated with children, but its story is just as memorable as some of the youthful classics. The Metamorphosis is one of the most commonly analyzed texts in high school and college English classes due to its complex themes and ambiguous situations. If you haven’t read this story (or if it’s been years since you had to read it for homework), the basic premise is that Gregor, a traveling salesman who provides for his parents and sister, wakes up to find himself turned into a giant insect and spends the rest of his days gradually becoming more hated by his family and visitors until he eventually passes from starvation. Pretty bleak, isn’t it? It seems obvious that Gregor is now a huge bug, but the interesting part is that it is never explicitly stated in the original text. Since the story was initially published in German, translators have determined Gregor to be either a beetle, roach, or general insect. However, some context clues point to him being a dung beetle, which explains the immediate disgust and the use of words to essentially describe him as “unclean.” Kafka even prohibited any artwork to be done of Gregor as a bug in order to leave it up to the reader and to allow the focus to gravitate towards the other parts of the story.
Rest assured, there are still plenty of insect attributes for us to analyze. Gregor’s physical appearance is gradually described in various sections, and we learn that he has thin legs, a segmented belly, poor eyesight, a squeaky voice, the urge to hide, and the ability to fly. Actually, flight is inferred by the description of Gregor’s wings hidden under wing covers, as well as how he can hang from the ceiling. As for the actual species, it could be interpreted in different ways, like we mentioned earlier. A massive bug would be revolting to just about anyone, so that’s not much of a clue. Gregor enjoys rotten food, which is typical of many beetles and roaches. He prefers to stay in the dark and was kept from going into the main living area by his father, but once their eventual tenants got a look at him, Gregor’s appearance led them to believe that the space is unclean and infested. This could all be true of roaches, beetles, and bed bugs. But there is one key detail that seems to point to Gregor being a roach. It is mentioned that his mother has asthma, which was likely a preexisting condition. Roaches are known to trigger asthma and allergy symptoms in people who have them, thanks to their disgusting shells and legs. Roaches also love eating rotten food, being hidden, and crawling around, all of which Gregor does. But no matter which insect species Gregor actually is, his habits and preferences are accurate to some of the most common species in the pest world.
Subjective Accuracy Rating: 5/5
Ralph the Mouse – Ralph S. Mouse trilogy by Beverly Cleary
If all mice were as friendly and charming as Ralph, rodent infestations would not be nearly as disgusting and scary as they truly are. This beloved trilogy of children’s books are all about Ralph S. Mouse, who rides his red motorcycle and prefers adventure and friendships with human children over staying in his colony. He lives in an inn with this group, where he meets a human boy named Keith who can understand Ralph and gives him his toy motorcycle. Throughout the series, there are multiple facts about Ralph that are made clear, some of which are more realistic than you might think. First, his desire for speed and danger, as well as his ability to drive any toy car he finds, is not very true to life for real rodents. Mice are terrified of anything larger than them, which is why they prefer to live quiet lives that are spent scavenging and expanding their massive colonies. They might curiously sniff a toy car that they happen across, but as intelligent as mice are (fun fact: the “S” in Ralph’s name stands for smart), it would take an extensive amount of training to get them to drive.
Secondly, Ralph’s life in the inn is pretty accurate to real mice. His colony is hidden from sight but eventually worries that their droppings will lead to the discovery and extermination of their colony. This is true of real mice colonies, as they often live in wall voids, boxes, and crawl spaces. Also, Ralph’s dislikes are similar to those of mice in reality. He is said to dislike mazes, cats, and vacuums. It makes sense for mice to fear cats and vacuums due to the aforementioned phobia of anything larger than them, but why mazes? Although mice can complete scientific obstacle courses in record time, they don’t necessarily enjoy it. They would rather be free to roam and forage for their own food the old fashioned way. But above all, Ralph’s friendship with various children he meets is full of both accuracies and inaccuracies. Keith discovers that Ralph likes peanut butter sandwiches, and real mice love peanut butter. In fact, this is a better bait than cheese for these rodents! But the fact that he retrieves aspirin for a sick Keith is not very realistic, especially considering the fact that these types of medicines are lethal to rodents. A later adventure involves Ralph being put in the same cage as a hamster, which is not a great idea. Hamsters are larger and more territorial, but mice are agile and experts at stealing their food. Ralph also acts as a real mouse in certain misadventures in this series. He chews through bedsheets to escape, and runs away to hide after his trusty motorcycle is broken. Overall, Ralph has enough similarities and differences to real mice to conclude that he is not the furthest mouse from the truth.
Subjective Accuracy Rating: 3.5/5
A Famished Caterpillar – The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Even though this caterpillar doesn’t talk or interact with anyone, its plump, lovable design makes it more enjoyable than real caterpillars. This children’s book is all about a green caterpillar that gradually eats more food every day until it forms a cocoon and emerges as a glorious butterfly at the end. The fun illustrations are enough to make any young reader hungry for the many snacks that the caterpillar enjoys, especially on Saturday when the caterpillar devours everything in sight. The narrator explains what the caterpillar eats during each day of the week, with the number of items gradually increasing with the day in order to help children learn how to count. The fact that it starts with eating fruit is realistic, since caterpillars enjoy anything organic. They typically eat all parts of a plant, including the stem, roots, petals, leaves, seeds, and fruit. Caterpillars are most often found on leaves because they prefer not to travel far from their food source. This fictional caterpillar may have a realistic diet initially, but it is willing to travel greater distances than most caterpillars in real life.
Speaking of its diet, it is interesting how quickly this storybook caterpillar goes from eating a singular hole in pieces of fruit, to chewing holes through all kinds of manmade treats. Saturday’s feast includes chocolate cake, an ice cream cone, a lollipop, a cupcake, a pickle, a slice of pie, and a slice of Swiss cheese, among other snacks. Since the caterpillar feels stuffed on Sunday, it eats a singular green leaf and feels better before cocooning. Caterpillars don’t typically have the option of devouring sweet treats, so it is difficult to say if they would eat as many as this caterpillar did. However, it is true that caterpillars will gradually eat more and more in the days leading up to their transformation. They need to build up the strength and energy in order to go through metamorphosis, especially since they can be in the cocoon for up to 3 weeks. The fictional caterpillar is in there for 2 weeks, so this is also accurate. One important distinction to make is the use of the term “cocoon.” This fluid-filled bag is used by caterpillars that will eventually turn into moths, not butterflies. Since this caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, it would go through metamorphosis in a chrysalis instead. The two structures are very similar, so it is not the worst thing for this children’s book to use a different term. In fact, in addition to being a childhood classic for generations, this book is endorsed by the Royal Entomological Society for being a scientifically accurate portrayal of metamorphosis and the process leading up to it. It’s tough to argue with such an endorsement!
Subjective Accuracy Rating: 4.75/5
Pointe Pest Control is Well-Read on Quality Pest Control
Make sure to return next week to learn more about the accuracy of famous literary pests! These pests may be fun and fictional, but the real deal is much less appealing. Whether it’s cockroaches, spiders, caterpillars, or rodents, it is important to take care of these pest problems as soon as possible. Most species aren’t dangerous to humans per se, but the long-term effects of them living in your home or business are not great. Rodents are known to chew through walls and furniture, and roaches and bloodsucking pests have the potential to cause health issues for the humans living in the home. When you want pest control services that actually care about your family and home, Pointe Pest Control is here to help! We provide environmentally-friendly pest control for dozens of pests, and create a customized treatment plan for each client’s pest issues. Contact us for a free quote and to learn more about how we can keep your home pest-free, so you can spend more time reading about fictional pests than dealing with the real invaders.
***Disclaimer: Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act recognizes “fair use” copywriter content as such: “Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phono-records or by any other means specified by that section, for proposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.” This blog post may contain certain copyrighted works and characters that were not specifically authorized to be used by the copyrighted holder(s), however, the content on this post qualifies as “commentary” on the copyrighted works under the “fair use” doctrine of the U.S. Copyright Act and is thereby protected by federal law. Furthermore, we do not claim any ownership or creative rights of any characters on this list, and all rights outside of the fair use doctrine belong to the respective owner(s).
Citations
Carle, E. (1969). The very hungry caterpillar. World Publishing Company.
Cleary, B. (1965). The mouse and the motorcycle. William Morrow.
Cleary, B. (1970). Runaway Ralph. William Morrow.
Cleary, B. (1982). Ralph S. Mouse. William Morrow.
Jones, J. (2015, October 21). Franz Kafka says the insect in The Metamorphosis should never be drawn; Vladimir Nabokov draws it anyway. Open Culture. Available at https://www.openculture.com/2015/10/franz-kafka-says-the-insect-in-the-metamorphosis-should-never-be-drawn.html (Accessed on February 28, 2023).
Kafka, F. (1915). The metamorphosis. Kurt Wolff Verlag.
Keyser, H. (2019, June 3). 15 facts about The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Mental Floss. Available at https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/66090/15-delicious-facts-about-very-hungry-caterpillar (Accessed on February 28, 2023).
Ralph. (n.d.). The World of Beverly Cleary. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.beverlycleary.com/characters/ralph
