Kafka's parables are easy to read and enjoy, however sometimes very hard to give a meaning. This case is valid also for "An Imperial Message".One way to interpret this parable is to analyze it by thinking about social system in the society and looking at the story from the messenger's perspective. Other way to interpret the story from the perspective of the man waiting the message.
Messenger is described as striving hard to move through the crowds, to find his way out of the palace. However, even with the help of sun in his breast, which is an indicator that his mission is directly ordered by the emperor himself, he cannot achieve to get himself out of the palace. The content of his message he carries gains importance here. Emperor is dying, and he is sending a last message to a commoner. I'd like to think that this message contains his wishes about the ruling of the country after his death, and probably he is thinking of giving a commoner great power, a high status, or even naming him his heir. When messenger is set off on his journey, his progress is blocked all these other officials and probably nobles, royal structures and bureaucracy. In my opinion, this situation tells us how hard it is to change the 'system', even for an emperor. No one puts extra effort in preventing the messenger from delivering his message. They are just there, just like the stairs and doors. The emperor's order to grant a commoner a great power out of nowhere, is denied by the system itself. A quick shift in power in society cannot happen just with an order, even if the order is issued by the highest ranked member of the society.
When the parable is examined from the point of view of the man waiting for the message, the parable seems to tell the imaginative nature of man. We often dream about things that have slight chance of happening. We imagine how the life would be if they happened. We may even think we deserve all those things. The man waiting by the window is just like another ordinary person. He is probably aware of the fact that a messenger from the emperor will never arrive, his life won't gain any further significance and it won't be any better; but he is an escapist. When life gets boring and we do not enjoy it any longer, it is expected to dream of an another one, a better one.
As you can see, the parable can be interpreted in two completely different ways. One is about the so-called 'system', and the other one is about human nature. Although these two concepts are related to each other, there is not much common ground on how they're examined in this parable. Kafka's parables are short, and tell simple to follow stories. However, they can always be interpreted in many ways. This is due to fact that they are not completely realistic stories, and Kafka avoids stating their moral directly.
It all seems so ineffectual. As the supposed receiver of the emporer's edict, you are merely dreaming it. It seems so futile. Perhaps this conveys the message of a teacher to the student. The teacher is trying very hard to bring you the message, but the creater of the message is dying, and the messenger cannot get your edict to you. We can wish for things that can only happen if we work for them, or at least meet the messenger half-way.
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