Consider The Lobster Argumentative Essay

Sharndip Singh

Essay 4 (Argument 2)

Boiled Alive

Have you ever wondered how a lobster reacts to pain? The most accepted belief is that they don’t, but they have ways to feel, and they are not human, so their senses are different. Lobsters have complex nervous systems and exquisite tactile sense, and they lack forms of pain mitigation that other animals possess; therefore; humans need to reconsider how they treat these ancient sea creatures.

Being boiled alive is a tortuous method for killing any animal. When lobsters are put into steaming hot water, it is unjust to assume that they don’t feel any pain while being boiled. In his essay “Consider the lobster”, Wallace states, “Lobsters do have nociceptors, as well as invertebrate versions of prostaglandins and major neurotransmitter via which our own brains register pain.” (Wallace par. 13) Humans just throw the lobster in the boiling water without a second thought of the intense pain the animal is about to go through in order to provide for a meal.

The horrific part of killing the lobster is that while being put into boiling water, the lobster cannot hear or see the painful event about to take place.

A lobster has little to no eyesight and also cannot hear. According to the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, also known as P.E.T.A “A lobster can “smell” chemicals in the water with their antennae, and they “taste” with sensory hairs along their legs.” With such an exquisite tactile sense, lobsters have adapted to ocean conditions by using their senses to taste and smell in order to be aware of their surroundings. Unlike humans, lobsters wouldn’t be able to visualize when they are senselessly murdered in a cooking pot. When put into the pot the lobster will start squirming around in a hopeless attempt to save itself and get out of the

pot.
Not only can lobsters feel the torturous pain involved in the boiling method, they also lack the ability to fight against it. Wallace says, “Lobster do not, on the other hand, appear to have the equipment for making or absorbing natural opioids like endorphins and encephalin, which are what more advanced nervous systems use to try to handle intense pain.” (Wallace par. 14) The lobster’s nervous system has no connection to the brain, which causes no reaction from the brain when the lobster is feeling a lot of pain. According to the Maine Lobster Promotion Council: “The nervous system of a lobster is very simple, and is in fact most similar to the nervous system of a grasshopper. It is decentralized with no brain. There is no cerebral cortex, which in humans is the area of the brain that gives the experience of pain,” (Wallace par. 6) This makes it very easy for humans to assume that without a cerebral cortex the lobster can’t feel the pain. On the other hand, lobsters do have nociceptors and a soft delicate skin that allows them to taste and feel.
Contrary to popular human beliefs; lobsters have the sense to feel pain, therefore humans should be less cruel in the killing and preparation of the animal. A more humane approach to kill the animal would be to make it instantaneous which will lessen the pain and suffering involved and is also a faster way to prepare the food. Boiling the lobsters alive allows for the animal to suffer for many minutes before it is dead. Wallace says, “Some cooks practice is to drive a sharp heavy knife point-first into a spot just above the midpoint between the lobster’s eyestalks. This is alleged to either kill the lobster instantly or to render it insensate.” By killing the lobster beforehand in a less torturous way, the pain and torture can be avoided. We should learn to respect an animal that is giving up its life in order to put food in our stomach.