Explore Franz Kafka's 'Before the Law.' Read a summary, learn about the novel ''The Trial,'' study the analysis of the parable, and understand the meaning and theme.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Before the Law by Franz Kafka | Meaning, Summary & Analysis
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does the gatekeeper allow him to do at the gate in Before the Law?
The gatekeeper allows the man to sit on a stool and wait. He does this with the promise that one day, it may be possible for the man to enter, but it is not a guarantee.
What is Kafka's message in Before the Law?
Many believe that Kafka's message in Before the Law was that the legal system is too complex. It has too many difficult hurdles to be fair for the average person.
Where does the man who wants to gain entry into the law came from?
The man who wants to gain entry into the law has come from the country. He has made a long journey, prepared with supplies to help him along the way.
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Show'Before the Law' was written by Franz Kafka and originally published in a Jewish weekly magazine titled Selbstwehr in 1915. Considered to be a parable, or a short story written to discuss a moral principle, it was eventually added to the novel The Trial in 1925 after Kafka's death. The Trial tells of a man named Josef K. that has been arrested for an unknown crime by an unknown authority. He is not put in prison but, instead, given the opportunity to continue living his life normally until his trial. In his attempts to find out what he has done wrong and who has accused him, he is constantly met with uncertain answers and unhelpful people. 'Before the Law' was added to The Trial as a fable told to Josef K. by a priest so that Josef can better understand the situation that he is going through. However, it does not work and Josef is later executed by two men.
Kafka's 'Before the Law' and The Trial are two great examples of Kafka's confusing and perplexing writings. In fact, Kafka's works are often so illogical that a term, Kafkaesque, was coined to describe a writing with bizarre and incomprehensible traits. Nevertheless, Kafka's work is philosophically studied and used to discuss how powerless individuals can be, making him an extremely well-known and prominent author.
This lesson will provide a summary and analysis of 'Before the Law', as well as give some insight into potential meanings of the writing derived from its themes.
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Before reading a summary of 'Before the Law,' it is important to understand the events of The Trial for context. The Trial tells of Josef K., a thirty-year-old man that is arrested for an unknown crime while he is at work. He is let go after his arrest, being told that he can remain free until he receives instructions regarding his trial. He is understandably stressed and concerned; and his landlady tells him he may have been arrested due to having a relationship with his neighbor. He is given instructions to appear at the court the following Sunday; but he is not given a time or room so he has to find the room himself, which is in the attic. He explains that the trial makes no sense, which only angers the court. The judge's wife tries to seduce Josef but is then taken away, and Josef becomes so weak from the experience that he must leave.
Later, Josef goes into a storage room in the bank he works for and sees the men that arrested him being flogged. Josef asks the flogger to stop, but the flogger refuses. Josef's uncle decides to enlist a lawyer to preside over Josef's case, but the lawyer is sickly and being tended to by a nurse named Leni. Josef and Leni sleep together, which makes his uncle very angry; and Josef soon figures out that the lawyer will not be helpful for him anyway. Instead, he seeks out the advice of the court's painter, Titorelli, who informs Josef that no one has ever successfully received an acquittal. Josef goes to a cathedral with one of his clients, and the priest tells Josef the fable of 'Before the Law' to help Josef understand his situation. It does not help Josef; and the night before Josef's birthday, he is arrested and executed outside of the city with a knife.
Now, it is possible to move on to a summary of 'Before the Law.' A man from the country wants to enter the "law" but is stopped by a gatekeeper. He is told he cannot enter, but maybe in the future he will be able to. The man tries to see through the gate and the gatekeeper laughs, telling the man that he can try to enter if he really wants to, but there are further gatekeepers that are much more powerful. The man decides to wait and sits on a stool provided by the gatekeeper. Much time passes, and the man continues to interact with the gatekeeper. He asks him questions and answers the questions that the gatekeeper poses to him. He even tries to bribe the gatekeeper with the supplies he has brought, which the gatekeeper accepts, but only so the man does not feel like he failed to try everything he could. The man grows old, still unable to enter to his dismay, as he feels like the law should be accessible to all. Finally, before the man dies, he asks why no one else ever showed up to be let in, and the gatekeeper tells him that the gate was only for him and will be closed when he dies.
Upon first reading, 'Before the Law' seems nearly uninterpretable to most. It's complex and confusing, addressing many things and yet almost nothing at all. Kafka was often known for using surreal and perplexing hypothetical situations to act as a commentary on real life issues. This means it is likely that he was trying to discuss the law in the real world, as well as the people in charge of enforcing the law and the people that the law is designed to help. The presentation of the law is crucial when analyzing the text. In 'Before the Law,' the law is presented in a sacred, yet unattainable way. The man is so close to getting in, but just out of reach; and instead of helping him, the gatekeeper acts as a barrier. Taking all of this into consideration, what exactly does 'Before the Law' mean?
'Before the Law' Meaning
Many have argued that the gatekeeper represents all of the hurdles that people must overcome when trying to accomplish anything in the legal system. As the man argues in the parable, the law should be accessible to all. Although it theoretically is, there are so many barriers keeping someone from it that it's virtually impossible to access. When someone is charged with a crime, the court case can take years and require a seemingly endless amount of paperwork, rather than being simplified for the sake of fairness.
However, others have argued that Kafka wrote 'Before the Law' as a lesson on religion. In The Trial, Josef is told the parable by a priest. Many often spend their whole lives trying to fully understand God, and it is often acknowledged that the deity himself is essentially the law. However, it is impossible to fully understand God as a being. God's existence is incomprehensible, and one's relationship with God is typically indirect, through the sermons of men appointed as priests.
Though interpretations differ, it's undeniable that the theme of law and justice is prominent. The man's attempts to reach the law are all for nothing. This can easily be compared to the attempts of those accused, like Josef K., who ultimately never obtain the justice they seek, highlighting the flaws of the legal system in place. Additionally, 'Before the Law' comments on the fact that people are willing to allow the legal system to stay the way it is, even though it is flawed. The man accepts his fate and sits there until death, never attempting to bypass the gatekeeper or leave.
'Before the Law' is a parable that was written by Franz Kafka. It was originally published on its own in 1915, but was added to a novel titled The Trial after Kafka's death. Told in the typical bizarre and difficult to understand Kafkaesque fashion, 'Before the Law' tells of a man that has made a long journey from the country to access the law. The law is guarded by a gatekeeper, who tells him that he cannot enter now, but he may be able to enter in the future. The man sits on a stool and waits. He grows much older, becoming more fixated on the mysterious entry, and answers and asks questions with the gatekeeper to pass the time. The man eventually dies; but just before, he asks the gatekeeper why no one else ever showed up. He is told that the gate only existed for him and will close once the man dies.
The meaning of 'Before the Law' has been argued since its publication. As with any Kafka work, it uses a surreal situation to discuss something from real life. Many agree that it was written to criticize the complexity of the legal system; but the fate of the man also highlights how unwilling people are to change the legal system, even when they notice that it isn't working. Touching on the theme of law and justice, while also potentially discussing religion, 'Before the Law' is a story that has long outlived its author, continuing to provide food for thought for anyone that reads it.
Video Transcript
Kafka's Style and 'Before The Law'
Have you ever started playing a game and realized that you don't know all of the rules and no one seems willing to explain them? Or, have you ever dreamed of being stuck in a maze, unsure where to turn or of what even awaits you if you make it out? Both of these situations could be called Kafkaesque, after the author, Franz Kafka. Many of Kafka's works feature protagonists (main characters) trapped in bizarre situations that they cannot understand and are unable to escape.
'Before the Law' is a parable, first published in 1915. It was later featured in one of Kafka's most famous works, The Trial. Both the parable and the novel pose questions about the nature of the law and the confusion caused by the law's mysterious set of rules and processes. The Trial's main character is suddenly arrested for an unspecified crime and spends the rest of the story trying to find out what his crime was and how to defend himself. At one point, the character hears a parable and wonders over its meaning. That parable is 'Before the Law.'
Parable Summary
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.
Parable Analysis
You might feel as powerless to interpret 'Before the Law' as the man from the country was to get answers. It's helpful to realize that Kafka often uses surreal situations to comment on real social and political conditions. So what could he be saying about the law, the people who enforce the law, and the people the law is supposed to protect?
Let's start with how Kafka characterizes the law. It's presented as an almost sacred thing. The man from the country has journeyed to reach it. He sees mystical light spilling from the entryway, but he still can't get to the law itself. Think about your own perception of the law. You know it's important; it gives society order, but what is its essential truth? It is too big to get a clear view of, and it's accessible only to people who spend their lives studying it.
The man from the country can't just walk through the gate. You would think that the gatekeeper would aid the man's journey and give him information that he needs to access the law. Instead, he gives vague information, and lets the man sit there until he dies. Many scholars think that Kafka is commenting on the endless hoops that average people have to jump through to get anything done in the legal system. There are always forms to fill out and people to talk to, followed by more forms and more people. Court cases can take years to be resolved, and they drain time and money from the individuals involved.
It's easy to feel sorry for the parable's protagonist. On one hand, Kafka probably wants us to. On the other hand, he probably wants us to question the man's behavior. Why didn't he try to walk through the open gate? Why did he sit and wither away waiting for something to happen? The story is undoubtedly meant as a criticism of the legal system, but perhaps also of the people under that system. Often, people simply accept that things are the way they are and don't try to enact change, even if they suffer as a result.
Lesson Summary
Franz Kafka's 'Before the Law' uses a surreal situation to comment on the reality of the legal system. The protagonist of the parable wastes away and dies while waiting for permission to pass through the gate and enter the law. The rules governing this process remain a mystery to the man, and both the man and the reader are left wondering if he could have changed anything. The gated status of the law suggests that Kafka is critiquing the complex processes that prevent law from operating in a useful way for average people.
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