Have you ever looked at an animal and wondered, “What is this animal thinking?

Can
they think like people?” People and scientists around the world have pondered this question.
The stories “Space-Time for Springers” by Fritz Leiber and “A Report for an Academy” by Franz
Kafka feature two intelligent animals who explore their world with a human-like perspective. Yet,
these animals never fully become human. These stories state that animals can have human-like
intelligence but they will always have wild animal traits.
Both stories are from the animals' point of view so the reader understands the animals’
thoughts. Leiber’s story features Gummitch, “a superkitten…with an I.Q. of about 160” (p 1).
Kafka’s story is told from the perspective of a captured ape who has learned to talk, and imitate
people. The ape is a changed ape, as he states that “five years separate me from my existence
as an ape” (p 1). This means that he has become so much like a human, that it’s hard to recall
being a totally wild ape. Both animals have this human-like knowledge. Gummitch says he has
“superior knowledge” (p 1) and can picture things in great detail. Because Gummitch believes
he will become human, he imagines a scene in detail. “The family gathered in a conclave at the
kitchen table, Ashurbanipal and Cleopatra respectfully watching from floor level, himself sitting
erect on chair with paws (or would they be hands) lightly touching his cup of thin china” (p 5).
This level of imagination is thought to only be in humans. The ape also has deep thoughts when
discussing his views on what the word freedom means. “Incidentally, among human beings,
people are too often are deceived by freedom. And since freedom is reckoned among the most
sublime feelings, the corresponding disappointment is also among the most sublime” (p 3)This
type of philosophical thinking is not often associated with animals. Gummitch is not as
philosophical as the ape, but both show the ability to have complex thoughts and ponder their
world or their future.
As people do, Gummitch and the ape make decisions about their futures as well as form
relationships with humans. At the end of the story, Gummitch decides to save the family baby
from being scratched with a hatpin by the jealous older sister. “Then he unhesitatingly flung his
spirit into her like a fistful of flaming arrows and he worked the Mirror Magic” (p 6). In this end,
he sacrifices his human potential to help the baby, and Gummitch, unlike the ape, will never be
able to speak or share his thoughts. The ape also makes a big decision. He realizes he has to
“cease being an ape” (p 3). He says that “no one promised me that if I could become more like
them the cage would removed” (p 5). Nobody told the ape to start imitating humans, but he
made the choice in hopes of getting out of his cage. In both stories, the animals have
relationships with humans as well as opinions about these people. Gummitch believes the baby
is an idiot and that “maliciousness of Sissy, who had to be watched out for warily–especially
when you were alone–and whose retarded–even warped–development, Gummitch knew” (p 2).
Gummitch does believe he gets along with the male owner (who he calls Old Horsemeat). The
reason is that Old Horsemeat knows the truth about the scratch marks on the baby. The mother
(named Kitty-Come-Here) believes that Gummitch scratched the baby’s face but it was really
Sissy, the little girl. Since Old Horsemeat knows the truth “he was quite apologetic when he
brought tin pans of food to the basement during the period of the little cat’s exile. It was a
comfort to Gummitch, albeit a small one (p. 7). In contrast, the ape was never exiled or shunned
by people. When he speaks, he hears a “ ‘Just listen. He’s talking!” like a kiss on my entire
sweat-soaked body.” (p 6) The people around him are fascinated by his ability to speak a human
language and they approve of this development. When he is trained and taught by teachers,
“the general public followed my progress and my future began to brighten” (p 7). The ape has
good feelings towards people as they do him. On the ship where he was placed after his
capture, he believes that the sailors are “good people, in spite of everything” (p 4). Both these
animals can form these relationships and opinions on the people around them. This shows that
these animals are more human-like because they have this ability
Despite these thoughts, Gummitch and the ape still retain their animal characteristics
both in appearance and behavior. Despite being super intelligent, Gummitch “was just a vividly
normal kitten” (p 1). He looked like a kitten and was treated like a kitten because “he devoured
his own horsemeat from his own little tin pan” (p 1). He also exhibited cat behavior such as
when “he picked himself up by his furry seat, swung himself around, dashed downstairs at top
speed, sprang to the top of the sofa, and stared for several seconds at the Gummitch Double in
the wall mirror” (p 5). Cats are known for this jumping up and running around like crazy, which to
humans seems to be out of nowhere. Another example is when Gummitch is trying to
communicate his thoughts to Old Horsemeat. He does this by “project[ing] the great new
thoughts, staring with solemn yellow eyes at the old god, but the latter grew markedly nervous
and even showed signs of real fearm so Gummitch deisisted” (p 3). Staring is also a known
behavior of cats, as they will sometimes stare with big eyes at people or objects. The ape also
retains some wild animal behavior and appearance. He recalls an article that he read that says
“that my ape nature is not yet repressed. The proof is that when visitors come I take pleasure in
pulling off my trousers to show the entry wound caused by this shot” (p 2). This behavior would
be shocking for a human, but for a half-trained ape, it would seem more normal. The ape is
disgusted with the article written about him and says that “people will not find there anything
other than well cared for fur” (p 2). Another wild animal behavior is described when he meets a
female chimpanzee. He says that when he comes from various places, “a small half-trained
female chimpanzee is waiting for me, and I take my pleasure with her the way apes do” (p 7).
This is a wild animal characteristic, as it is natural for chimps to want to mate with other chimps.
Yet, he realizes that “she has in her gaze the madness of a bewildered trained animal. I am the
only one who recognizes that, and I cannot bear it” (p 7). This shows that the ape is aware that
the female chimp is being taking advantage of because she lacks the human-likeness that he
does. She’s still too wild and unaware. He is sad about doing this to her, but his ape nature still
takes over him. Both Gummitch and the ape, despite being so intelligent, still have this wild part
of them that can’t be erased.
These two animals show their human-like knowledge but they still have a wild side to
them. Gummitch has deep thoughts and a big imagination but he still remains a kitten in the
end. The ape also can think like a human, but he never loses his ape nature. Both animals are
able to make decisions, form opinions, and build relationships with humans. Yet they never fully
transform into walking, talking human beings. In the end, they remain animals with complex
thoughts. Animals may look normal from the outside, but we will never know what is really going
on inside their heads.