When I first read this passage, I like most, saw the before as spatially, and I am still not convinced that it is not. Perhaps it is both temporal and spatial, who knows. While it is really relevant in the physical story, if it is all taking place in the man's mind, I think it is less so. My meaning is that whether it is before the man reached the law (spatially) or before the law was created in the man (temporally) either way it is an expression of the man being without law. This I think is extremely interesting.
Taken this way, the passage might be an explanation of the man who limits himself from reaching his own potential of creating his own "free" law by imposing a law of not being able to create "free"laws on himself. (In doing so, utilizing the law he sought, but using it to his disadvantage) Such as to explain why we follow others laws; becasue we tell ourselves we have no choice, when really, as free beings, we have all the choice, but we limit ourselves by believing in the doorkeeper in our minds.
I find this to be interesting, anyone else?
While this is an interesting interpretation, I think it leaves out many details, most importantly that the door keeper closes the door at the end. If the law is all in the mind, what is the opportunity that the man wasted in his absurd decision to wait for permission. Perhaps, this parable is telling us that we need no permission to have the law, but that may be too simple. The man might not even be a universal repersentative of mankind but rather a particular kind of man, the kind that waits for permission for the law rather than taking it himself. While Kafka is no Niezschean, I feel there is something to the failure of the man to truely be with the Law rather than before it.
ReplyDeleteEric, I think that Colin's interpretation still makes sense even if the door shuts at the end. The door is the opportunity. And as the door shuts, his opportunity closes. He had the ability to act or do something while the door was open, but decided to wait for the law to change. The man should have taken initiative, and done something about it. This is what I think.
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