SOME INTERPRETATION ABOUT BEFORE THE LAW

       Before The Law is one of the short parables of Franz Kafka and it narrates the story of a villager who tries to understand the law and reach it but is prevented by a gatekeeper. Although it can be counted as a very short story, the parable can be evaluated with many different interpretations. Some of those can be mentioned to costruct a better understanding of the parable.
       First of all, it can be claimed that the parable focuses on how people in a society want to understand the laws of it and some of them decide to try to change them. The villager goes to the door to reach the law and understand it but he is prevented by the gatekeeper. It can exemplified from an ordinary society that everyone judges the laws existing in that society and some of them with sufficient courage ty to change those. From this point of view, it can be remarked that Kafka focuses on people's will of understanding and evaluating the laws. However; as the gatekeeper becomes an obstacle and the villager never passes the door, it can be deduced that the ones who try changing the laws of the society will be unsuccessful at least most of them and authority remains dominant on people. Plus, it can be highlighted thah authority seems trustworth to people as the villager believes the gatekeeper as time will come to pass the door. The villager does not challenge the gatekeeper anymore and authorty wins. This also emerges in a real society as most of the people in it obey the rules and laws without any resistance.
       Secondly, the notions of failure and bribery can be discussed. It can be interpreted that any effort for a target will not be any waste because the effort is the only possibility to reach it. In the parable, it can be seen that the villager tries passing the door by challenging the gatekeeper at first and then try passing it by giving his items to the gatekeeper. These are all examples of effort to reach a target which is arriving the law. The villager can not pass the door but the parable tells that people who wants to change the laws should give all their effort without any opinion of failure. Failure can emerge in all areas of life but always all effort should be supplied to reach any target. Bribery is another concept that should be focused on. Although it has negative connotations, the parable can be interpreted as bribery can be a choice to reach an aim. The villager gives his items to the gatekeeper to persuade him to open the door for the passage of him and this is an example of bribery in the parable. Then this indicates that some people in a society will apply the method of bribery to get rid of rules for themselves to reach their targets with less effort and loss of time. Even though it is illegal, it is a very common thing in a simple society.
       Finally, some points in the parable can be focused on. The villager asks finally why any other people did not come to pass the door and the gatekeeper answers him that the gate was intended for him. This shows that very small number of people have the encourage to reject the laws in a society and becuase the villager can not pass the door individually, it can be highlighted that individual rejections will not be efficient in a society to change the rules applied in it. More collective resistances should be provided to change something. In addition, the man is a villager and the law is particular to him. This shows that in a society everyone has different lives and they are dominated by different laws related to their life aims. The man's villager being also indicates that laws are generally dominant on people with lower status in a society. Plus, the gatekeeper emphasizes that many separate doors and gatekeepers exst after him and the gatekeepers become stronger. This elaborates on the law hierarchy in a society. Some laws are more important and strict than some others and their keepers and applicators are stronger than the others.
       These are the general interpretations for the parable Before The Law. Although it can be evaluated from diffferent point of views, it focuses on how laws wanted to be comprehended by people and changed by some of them. However; the parable also shows that authority will remain dominant on people but effort should be given everytime to change something or to create some effect.