before the law sits a gatekeeper

[masterlibrarian]

Hi, how many of you had read the kafka's short tale "Before the law"?
What do you think about it? What's the meaning of this work?

[Schokokeks]

I guess you mean the short tale that is incorporated in his novel The Process ? I read the novel a while ago and I remember we talked about that short episode for ages in class, and everybody offered a different interpretation , which is why it's one of the most discussed pieces in German literature, and German literary theorists are still head-butting each other over this .
I recall that while reading I found the short tale very striking, but I would have to read it again in order to give a comment on what it means.

Are you reading it for class ? What are your thoughts ?

[No-Man]

I'm sure every one of you have their own explenation. For me this is description of absurdity of human life. Being born, not knowing why, searching for answers you will never find even though you are the only one (YOU-as a human race) you can find them.

[whatsername]

I guess it all means that no matter what you do, no matter how good you are, no matter how long you wait, the real law will can never be reached because it's all corrupted in the first place.

[libernaut]

Before the law has to be one of the most existential pieces ever written by anyone. It is so great. I would recommend it to anyone. I read it in "The Penal Colony and other short stories by Franz Kafka". Which basically includes everything he intended to publish. But they published his other works against his dying wishes.

[Phillip L.]

To understand the parable "Before the Law" it really needs to be read in context within the Chapter - In the Cathedral >> which is the next to last chapter of The Trail.
It is best to read Kafka (natually) in German as things tend to get a bit corrupted in translation. This is really the closest that Josef K. gets to finding the way out of
his problems (der Prozess!) - and it is a parable on deliverance given by a "spiritual man" (often translated as Priest but "Geistlicher" means not only priest but also
spiritualist.... I would say more but I'm not sure that there's really much interest in such things - like Josef K., one tends to walk out of the "Dom" (cathedral) as
quick as one can!! - yikes.