In 1859 Charles Darwin published his scientific novel On the Origin of Species. Evolution quickly came to prevalence both in the scientific community and later the social community; in the late 19th and early 20th centuries evolution became a source of optimism, and a symbol of humanity’s instinctive path towards social and physical progress. However, both Gogol in The Nose and Kafka in Metamorphosis take a contrasting approach to this analysis of humanity with the intention of highlighting its innate tendency of retrogression. Furthermore, through these images of evolutionary regression, coupled with the reoccurring theme of alienation as a source of dehumanization, both Gogol and Kafka challenge this prevailing belief in evolutionary progress;
