Before The Law

Before The Law

Rethinking the Introduction/Aims

The essay explores the critical analysis of an article presented by Franz Kafka named as “Before The Law”. The idea of Kafka himself being on the "outside" of the society in which he lived, and even a sort of paranoia about being this outsider, is first and foremost the central theme of my understanding of Kafka, and it heavily influences the way i read and understand his work.

Critical Problem/Issue/Question

I have always thought him to be a sort of innocent but accepting outcast of his environment, someone who was always "on the outside," didn't know the secret that everyone else was in on, but accepted it nonetheless, without expecting retribution. not that this was an easy thing to do, but what alternative was there? I think Kafka was very disappointed with the way his world was and how the people around him treated each other, and he did not feel like a part of "their" society because he could see these faults where they could seemingly not see them. I have thought that this theme runs through most of his writings, because of his living conditions.

Thesis Statement

The thesis statement for this essay is the Law is simply presented as the place into which one wants entry.

Keywords / Phrases

The keywords used that help to explain the thesis to the reader is law, society, entry, outside, restriction, truth etc.

Context For The Thesis

It doesn't need to be something as concrete as "heaven" or "riches" or "freedom" or anything else (not that those are particularly "concrete" ideas, though). and, it could very well be different for every society that reads this story which may be why Kafka left it so open- so it would be practically universally applicable.

Issues For The Thesis

For Kafka's society, then (and, by extension, ours), what I have always thought the law to be is kind of an abstract sense of belonging to society. "the law" to me seemed to be the sort of unwritten code that people in our society live by; not necessarily the laws written and supported by our governments or gods, but written, intentionally or unintentionally, by ourselves, collectively.

Thesis Analysis

This etiquette, however, would be absolutely mysterious and unfathomable to someone outside this collective, and this, i think, is where the man from the country comes in. There is a wide variety of "knowledge bits" (for lack of a better phrase) i am not privy to- and i think it is this collection of knowledge bits that makes up the abstract idea of "the law." But the law is not a separate entity. Although I think it is this group of unwritten codes, it cannot exist without the society that has established them. So, the law and this society are almost synonymous- or at least mutually-dependant (you cannot separate breathing from human life, and you cannot have human life without breathing. but let us be ever-vigilant about analogies.).

Rethinking Paragraphs/Aims

The paragraphs in the essay support the ...