Kafka describes a man in “Before the Law” who shows up in front of the Law and its gatekeeper. The man requests entry into the law, however the Gatekeeper prohibits him from going in. This does not discourage the man, for he continues to try to peer inside the gates. Seeing this, the Gatekeeper steps aside and tells the man that he can go through the gates, but warns the man that he will be met with stronger gatekeepers. The man decides that it would be better if he waits until the Gatekeeper gives him permission. While doing so, the man observes the Gatekeeper for long years. Finally, the man grows older and his eyesight weakens, but prior to his death, the Gatekeeper sees that the man is dying and closes the gates.

A concept I see in “Before the Law” is power demonstrated by the Gatekeeper. The man that approaches the Gatekeeper is passive and never once in all the years forcefully tries to gain entry to the law. Instead, seeing the Gatekeeper’s authority, the man chooses to wait for the Gatekeeper to give him verbal permission to enter. The man demonstrates complete submission to the Gatekeeper’s authority. Although he questions and observes the Gatekeeper’s actions, the man instead chooses to spend his entire life waiting for permission rather than physically try to gain entry. We can see that the passive nature of the man eventually leads him to die without him gaining entry to the law. Perhaps we can say that obeying the Gatekeeper’s authority is more important to the man than finding out what he really wanted.