The Art of Interpretation: A Multitude of Inferences in Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law”

The Art of interpretation: a multitude of inferences in Franz Kafka’s ‘Before the Law’ is a piece that talks about the interdisciplinary intertwine between Literature and Law by basing it on Franz Kafka’s infamous piece ‘Before the Law’ and how Kafka uses the form of a parable to depict the several possible interpretations possible in both Law and literature. The paper also simultaneously discusses the boundaries between Law and literature whilst talking about how they are essentially the same, though conflicting in certain areas. Both deal with idealizing humankind and society, but there is more emotion in Literature while there is more reason in Law. The story of the man who is trying to enter the door of law, but eventually fails and reaches a stage of complacency and the rugged gatekeeper who denies the man’s access to Law leaves readers with the quintessential delineation of the relationship between a common person and the Law in reality. The yearning for ascending the borders of the law is luminously present, but crucially in Kafka’s parable, the man does not unshackle himself; he denies life by waiting his entire life before the law. In essence, this essay will cover the role of a parable in conveying the relationship between literature and Law and how both are an open door for interpretations.