Significance
The section is a lucid example of absurdity in Kafka's works. It also clearly demonstrates the concept of existentialism, as the man from the country can only enter the gate using his own, individual path.
The fable is referenced and reworked in the penultimate chapter of J.M. Coetzee's novel Elizabeth Costello. Jacques Derrida's essay also titled "Before the Law" examines the meta-fictional aspects within the structure and content of Kafka's fable (for instance the situation of the title before the body of the text and also within the first line of the text itself). Derrida's essay incorporates Immanuel Kant's notion of the categorical imperative as well as Freudian psychoanalysis in its reading of Kafka's fable.
In the film After Hours the conversation between Paul and the bouncer at Club Berlin is partially lifted from "Before the Law".
Read more about this topic: Before The Law
Famous quotes containing the word significance:
“Of what significance the light of day, if it is not the reflection of an inward dawn?—to what purpose is the veil of night withdrawn, if the morning reveals nothing to the soul? It is merely garish and glaring.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“It is necessary not to be Christian to appreciate the beauty and significance of the life of Christ.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“To grasp the full significance of life is the actor’s duty, to interpret it is his problem, and to express it his dedication.”
—Marlon Brando (b. 1924)