Honeydew Alice Toomey Analysis

Most people would assume that humans are superior to insects. This self-centered idea is a harmful aspect of humanity, as people do not try to learn from creatures that are regarded as inferior. However, in “Honeydew,” by Edith Pearlman, Alice Toomey, the strict headmistress of Caldicott Academy, and Emily Knapp, an insect-loving student, are the human exceptions who recognize the virtue insect communities are built around: selflessness. The admiring repetition of insects, Alice’s transformation into an open individual, and the symbolism of honeydew suggest that Alice and Emily, through Alice’s metamorphosis and Emily’s obsession with insects, replace their human attribute of being self-centered with the selfless character of insects.
Emily’s mockery of the human brain that “it evolved to make money and war” (168) demonstrates that she chooses to focus only on the negative outcomes of the brain and is almost oblivious to the advancements of people. “It” being italicized demonstrates Emily’s disgust for the human brain, and her detachment implies that she lacks a human brain and the self-centeredness that accompanies it. Both money and war lead people to suffer for their personal desires, and Emily’s distance from the human brain suggests that she has the control to be self-denying. Similarly, Emily’s belief that “Ghiselle had no concern for the superorganism” (169) demonstrates how Ghiselle is inherently detached from her role in the greater human race. The superorganism refers to the human community, and Emily believes that only charitable beings, such as ants, are evolved enough to understand that communities survive only when each member contributes and sacrifices for each other. Ants are typically seen as unevolved, much less charitable, and this argument again reveals the profound ability of Emily to recognize that ants exemplify the traits people lack. Emily has evolved more than Ghiselle, as Emily is disconnected from the greed and self-centeredness of people and has developed to recognize the selfless morality of insects. Emily argues that insects are superior, or more evolved than people
Alice’s assertion that “Caldicott’s most important rules...were tolerance and discretion” (173) demonstrates that she has learned to respect the beliefs of others from her development into an insect. Ants are incredibly tolerant creatures, as their second stomach benefits the whole community even if certain ant members disagree with each other. Intolerance leads to people disregarding each other’s contrasting opinions and focusing on themselves only, and this dangerous trait leads to the decline of humanity, for then no person would look out for each other. Alice must be discreet to protect her community members from feeling embarrassed and separated. By being indiscreet, or unwisely revealing another’s private information, one is deliberately betraying the trust of another person for one’s own personal gain. The insect community is built around trust and will collapse if each of its members do not feel comfortable sharing their own beliefs. In contrast, that Richard “replaced Alice” (173) with another girlfriend indicates that he behaves in the same superficial and selfish manner Alice used to conduct herself in. Instead of trying to love Alice, Richard decides to focus only on his sexual needs, just like how Alice originally was more concerned about her reputation as a headmistress than the actual well-being of