Analyzing Kafka’s “Before the Law” With Psychology and Marxism

Word Count: 943

Analyzing Kafka’s “Before the Law” With Psychology and Marxism

Kafka’s “Before the Law” describes a man’s attempts to join the law, only to encounter trouble in the forms of a gate and its gatekeeper. Ultimately, he fails to reach his goal, and many details of the story are left as a mystery. Just as there are many critical reading approaches, this story has an equal amount of possible interpretations. In my opinion, it is best to interpret the story as a psychological criticism with the man’s futile actions indicating his weakening mental stability. However, another valid interpretation of the story is using the Marxist approach and seeing the man’s struggles as proof of the difficulties of class mobility.

My group interpreted the story through a psychological viewpoint. As examined throughout the story, readers can observe the man’s changing mental states during his challenge to join the law. Although the visible obstacles to the law are the gate and the gatekeeper, the less obvious issue is the man’s own mental fortitude. While the gatekeeper claims that there are more “gatekeepers, each more powerful than the other,” the man never investigates for himself whether this is the truth or not. Since the man is not courageous enough to venture past the gate, he is forced to wait for an immeasurable amount of time. Rather, his mind convinces him to “spend everything, no matter how valuable, to win over the gatekeeper.” Despite his strong attachment to the law, he refuses to take the risk of passing the gate in fears of the possible future threats. Instead, he tries to take the seemingly easier path of bribing entry into the law. He is fearless in losing physical possessions, but his frail mental strength prevents him from progressing further.

Another element supporting this approach is the special emphasis on the symbols of the gate and the gatekeeper. As stated before, the gate represents an obvious physical barrier to the law. Strangely, the gate has no special visible traits except for being in the path of the man. On the other hand, the other physical obstacle, the gatekeeper, intimidates the man even more than the gate. His “large pointed nose and his long, thin, black Tartar’s beard” are some reasons that convince the man to not pass the gate. From the man’s point of view, these features intimidate him as the gatekeeper appears cold and hard to talk to. In addition, giving the gatekeeper a clear and professional-looking physical appearance causes him to become the target of the man’s attention. In contrast to the lacklustre description of the gate, the more easily imaginable gatekeeper is an easier object to pay attention to. However, the biggest impact that the gatekeeper has is mentally as he is the cause of the man’s mental breakdown during the waiting process; “This one seems to him the only obstacle for entry into the law.” By only obsessing over the gatekeeper, he loses all other sense of reasoning. In addition, the lack of personal connection throughout the wait also causes the man to spiral into madness. Another element to support the psychological approach is the unstated motive behind the man’s desire to join the law. The man’s strong attachment to law is clearly expressed, but it is unclear why he wants entry in the first place. However, as he puts it, “Everyone strives after the law.” Regardless of a person’s personal background or history, the law is seen as the ultimate goal. However, it is never explained on what exactly is the law. In addition, the gatekeeper remains an enigma since his thinking process throughout the man’s waiting process is unclear.

Another possible critical approach to read the story with is Marxist criticism. To simplify the concept of Marxism, it focuses on the socioeconomic struggles for the individual. It is possible to examine the story by seeing the gate as a barrier against the progress of the peasants into an upper class. By thinking of the man as a lower class trying to achieve a higher status, it reflects the difficulty of changing the social structure of the populace. This also explains why the man kept waiting until “he no longer has much time to live.” People naturally have unlimited desires and wants, and having a higher status would lead to more wealth and an easier lifestyle. By having the law embody the luxurious life, people would naturally gather to try their luck on gaining entry, even if it meant waiting forever. Although “the law should always be accessible for everyone,” there are obviously obstacles preventing the common man from succeeding. The inequality in power prevents the man from continuing on the path to the law. Despite his belongings and wealth, he is intimidated by the supposed power of the gatekeeper and the future gatekeepers. The reason for why the man is prevented entry is never stated; similarly, people face discrimination outside of their control.

“Before the Law” fits the criteria for a variety of critical approaches. Depending on how a person views the law, the gate, and the gatekeeper, their interpretation will differ from another person’s. Personally, I feel that the psychological critical approach works better for this story than the Marxist approach. Reading the story as a psychological criticism explains the reasoning to focus on the man’s fluctuating thinking process. On the other hand, the Marxist theory is based on assumptions with no clear evidence from the text. The author purposely left the interpretation of the story up to the reader because there is no right answer on what critical approach is the best to read the story with. Similarly, there is no surefire way to gain entry into the elusive law.