Kafka's Penal Colony
Feren Johnson
Marley
English 251
3.9.12
Fear and Loathing in the Penal Colony Roaul Duke in the popular film, Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas, said, “And that, I think, was the handle - that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of old and evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn 't need that.” Kafka uses the idea that the “old and evil” can, in fact, prevail to create fear and suspense in The Penal Colony. The battle between the old and new regime, what they individually represent, and the confusion surrounding them brings a realistic terror to the piece. The fear this instills creates a “shiver of recognition” (Charles, 1080), which brings about greater understanding of the concept of justice and good prevailing over evil. A major theme of Kafka’s piece is the idea of justice, which is tied to the ever fleeting concept of truth. The primary form of justice is brought about using the apparatus. The piece tries to explain the apparatus as it consists of three parts, “the lower one is called the ‘Bed’, the upper one the ‘Designer’, and this one here in the middle that moves up and down is called the ‘Harrow.’” (Kafka, 142) Although the author goes into great detail about the inter-workings of the apparatus, it is difficult to comprehend, much like the concept of justice. There are many interpretations of what the apparatus looks like, mostly because the details Kafka gives are so vague. For example, the officer explains, “here is the bed… It is completely covered with a layer of cotton wool… The Bed and the Designer were of the same size and looked like two dark wooden chests. The Designer hung bout two meters above the Bed; each of them was bound at the corners with four rods of brass that almost flashed out rays in sunlight. Between the chests shuttled the Harrow on a ribbon of steel” (Kafka, 142-143). There are so many different aspects to the apparatus, although a complete understanding is almost impossible. The apparatus represents
Marley
English 251
3.9.12
Fear and Loathing in the Penal Colony Roaul Duke in the popular film, Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas, said, “And that, I think, was the handle - that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of old and evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn 't need that.” Kafka uses the idea that the “old and evil” can, in fact, prevail to create fear and suspense in The Penal Colony. The battle between the old and new regime, what they individually represent, and the confusion surrounding them brings a realistic terror to the piece. The fear this instills creates a “shiver of recognition” (Charles, 1080), which brings about greater understanding of the concept of justice and good prevailing over evil. A major theme of Kafka’s piece is the idea of justice, which is tied to the ever fleeting concept of truth. The primary form of justice is brought about using the apparatus. The piece tries to explain the apparatus as it consists of three parts, “the lower one is called the ‘Bed’, the upper one the ‘Designer’, and this one here in the middle that moves up and down is called the ‘Harrow.’” (Kafka, 142) Although the author goes into great detail about the inter-workings of the apparatus, it is difficult to comprehend, much like the concept of justice. There are many interpretations of what the apparatus looks like, mostly because the details Kafka gives are so vague. For example, the officer explains, “here is the bed… It is completely covered with a layer of cotton wool… The Bed and the Designer were of the same size and looked like two dark wooden chests. The Designer hung bout two meters above the Bed; each of them was bound at the corners with four rods of brass that almost flashed out rays in sunlight. Between the chests shuttled the Harrow on a ribbon of steel” (Kafka, 142-143). There are so many different aspects to the apparatus, although a complete understanding is almost impossible. The apparatus represents
Cited: Charters, Ann. "Reading Short Stories." The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 1077-081. Print. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Dir. Terry Gilliam. 1998. DVD. Kafka, Franz. “In the Penal Colony.” The Complete Stories. New York, NY: Schocken Books Inc, 1971. 140-167. Print.