This is a commentary of conformity spawned by the reading of "Rhinoceros"

In "Rhinoceros," the narrator has an epiphany of why people conform to change.   "...It is not always necessary to be in the swim and that one's own individuality is a good thing to hold onto.  However, one must also participate; to distinguish oneself is all right, yes, but--from one's own kind." This statement proves that the narrator has realized the point of the story.  This, the narrator's inner conflict, serves as the driving force of the story.  Throughout the story, people have been transformed into rhinoceroses, some voluntarily, others involuntarily. 

Botard, for example, voluntarily gave up living as a human and became a rhinoceros.  This transformation proved to be ironic.  Earlier in the short story, Botard expressed his contempt for people who believed that rhinoceroses were running wild in the streets.  He thought that the sight of the rhinoceroses was "collective psychosis."  Botard also thought that rhinoceroses were all myths.  Before Botard transformed into a rhino, his last human words were, "One must keep up with the times," signifying that he accepted turning into a rhinoceros because everybody else was turning into one.  Botard was at first skeptical about the sightings of the rhinoceroses, but as he got to hear more people talking about these pachyderms, he willingly turned into one because it was the "new" thing to do.

The boss, on the other hand, cared more about his business than he did about the rhinoceroses.  As the narrator first entered the office, the boss asked him if he saw the rhinoceros, and the narrator replied that he did.  This led to a huge discussion about whether the rhinoceros had one or two horns, and if the sight was real or not.  After the scene developed, the boss ordered everybody back to work.  In another scene, a rhinoceros, who was later determined to be a former employee, Mr. Boeuf, tried to climb the stairs of the office, attempting to reach his wife who ran up ahead of him.  The boss replied, "For years now I've been telling the management they would have to replace those old worm-eaten stairs with concrete..."  Thus, the boss was not concerned with the rhinoceros' activities until it disrupted the flow in the office.  While the scene was evolving, the boss said to Daisy that he would carry her down in his arms.  Daisy replied, "Don't put your coarse old hand on my face, you pachyderm," which foreshadowed the eventual transformation of the boss into a rhinoceros.     

John, the narrator's best friend, also mutated into a pachyderm.  John was very adamant in his arguments.  When John and the narrator got into an argument on the number of horns the rhinoceros had (the one they saw at the cafe), John stormed off angrily because he lost the argument.  This was apparent when John stated, "...The one last week had two horns on his snout, he was an Asiatic rhinoceros; and the one today had only one therefore he must be an African rhinoceros;"  and the narrator replied, "...The beast moved with such speed we were barely able to see him, let alone have enough time to count his horns."  This exchange went back and forth until John had had enough and stormed off.  When the narrator tried to reconcile the problem, the two got into another heated argument about rhinoceroses, this one about living with the pachyderms.  Things started to change in this scene from the other scene when the narrator stated, "A blind rage had disfigured his face, so transforming his voice that I could scarcely comprehend the words that issued from his mouth."  After the narrator's observation, John turned into a rhinoceros, voluntarily, because he was angry with the narrator and he wanted to fight him, as was evident in what John said, "I'll trample you! I'll trample you!"

Daisy, the narrator's love interest, was a person who agreed with the narrator, but only to a limit.  In the beginning of the story, she sided with the narrator, confirming that she too saw the rhinoceros. Later, the narrator thought that he and Daisy needed to reproduce in order to help save the human race in their town of Little Castille because it was being overrun by the ferocious rhinoceroses.  Daisy said that she did not want to have any children; she thought that it was the narrator and herself who needed to be transformed into rhinoceroses and not the other way around, "After all, maybe it is we who need to be saved.  Maybe it is we who are abnormal..."  The narrator would not hear of this; he and Daisy got into a heated argument.  A few days later, Daisy left the narrator.   Nothing further was said of Daisy's whereabouts, but it was clear she wanted to conform;  she wanted to learn from the rhinoceroses, their habits and their language.  

After Daisy's departure and people's transformations, the narrator started to rethink his stand on the humans' chances of survival against the rhinoceroses.  After realizing his epiphany, the narrator begins to look at his hands (eventually everyday) hoping that he would eventually become a rhinoceros. The narrator had become ashamed of himself because he would never be able to transform into a rhinoceros. He realized that being a rhinoceros meant conforming without distinguishing yourself from society.