"Reading As a Machine and Parts " copyright 2012 Kristin Fouquet Reminiscent of Metamorphosis and Flowers for Algernon , Caleb J. Ross takes us inside the mind of a man who is transforming. This man, Mitchell, experiences a slide from human to machine. This transformation coincides with the deterioration of his relationship with a much older lover, Marsha. While becoming a machine would be an existential nightmare for most, Mitchell almost doesn’t seem to mind. Eric, Marsha’s son, asks “How did this happen to you?” “That’s not the point.” (p. 35) Several pages before, Eric rips away Mitchell’s nose, a globe valve, foreshadowing his future. Eric’s best friend, a man named Ferret, enjoys repurposing dead animals, some deliberate road kill. Although these characters are resentful and curious about his changing condition, they don’t seem alarmed by it, much like Mitchell, leading the reader to accept it as well. Mitchell becomes delighted with e...