While the reader is unlikely to have personally faced Gregor's dilemma of literally turning into an insect overnight, The Arrival is structured so that the reader shares the character's lack of knowledge of the new society's technology, regardless of whether or not they have found themselves in the same position in real life. Also, unlike The Arrival, where the setting is strange and the character is ordinary, Gregor is unusual and his setting is ordinary. Since the protagonist is not universally recognizable, it is difficult to feel empathy with him, however, if the reader connects the door scene (Kuper, 24) to the tap scene (Tan, part II), the door scene suggests the interpretation that strangeness is relative and that Gregor is now a stranger to himself