Before the Law
In 'Before the Law,' Kafka represents the law as a physical space. The entire story is about a man from the country who is trying to get through a gateway that will let him enter into the law. As this man approaches, he sees that though the gate is open, there is a gatekeeper in front of it. The gatekeeper tells the man that he cannot let him through. The man asks if he will be allowed in later. The gatekeeper says it's possible, but it is unclear why the man isn't allowed in and also unclear if, when, and why he might be let in in the future.
The gatekeeper warns that there are more gatekeepers ahead. As noted in the story, 'The man from the country has not expected such difficulties: the law should always be accessible for everyone,' he thinks, but as he now looks more closely at the gatekeeper, he decides that it would be better to wait until he gets permission to go inside. Because the gatekeeper seems to have authority, the man decides not to barge through.
Days, weeks, and years go by as the man waits by the gate. The man even offers his belongings to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper takes everything, but says, 'I am taking this only so that you do not think you have failed to do anything.' The man from the country thinks that he just needs to ask the right question or do the right thing to be allowed in, but nothing the man does seems to matter to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper asks the man some questions, but he doesn't seem interested in the responses.
The man waits so long that he is old and nearly deaf. He is still entirely fixated on the gate. He sees light streaming out from the entryway and realizes that he has one question left. 'Everyone strives after the law...so how is that in these many years no one except me has requested entry?' The gatekeeper replies, 'Here no one else can gain entry, since this entrance was assigned only to you. I'm going now to close it.' The man from the country dies, and the gatekeeper closes the gate.
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