Blog Post #1

"Before the Law" by Kafka
In group discussion, it was decided that the reasonable approach to be take was the psychological approach because the story made the readers questions the motives of both characters. Although this approach is logical, I believe that the correct approach for this particular reading is to take a Marxist approach. The main argument made by my classmates was that the initial motives of both characters lead the readers to approach this reading psychologically. Questions such as “Why does the country man want to pass so bad or what really stopped the man from passing if the gatekeeper specifically said that he wouldn’t stop him? Though these are good questions, I believe it is more important to think more critically and assume that this society chooses who can go to “the law.” It demonstrates the capacity of how social status plays a big role in life and how one can achieve more if they have more.
From the beginning, Kafka introduces a character and instantanly specifies that he is a “ “man from the country.” By doing so, I think this translates to the idea of classism: making it known to the readers that this man is not of social status or of wealth. The second character mentioned is the gatekeeper.” Indirectly stated, this gatekeeper is of higher status when placed against the man because the gatekeeper is what keeps the man from passing the said to be gate that is “before the law.” This can be interpreted with a Marxist approach because of the idea of Classism that explains the dynamic between the two. It is written in a way that makes the readers feel the distinction between both the gatekeeper and the countryman in a sense of power. It also makes it clear that the countryman knows this fact as well and chooses to accept that they are impotent against the gatekeeper. In a classless society, the idea of levels is not something that prevents someone from achieving more. Though it is not mentioned that this is the situation here, it is a given because it relates to how people behave and think. Taking a Marxist approach, it exemplifies how the man was shaken by the idea of passing the gatekeeper because of the lack of wealth or maybe social class.
Another reason why I believe this reading should be analyzed through a marxist approach is because I believe this reading supports the idea of a socialist society. The whole passage was structured to believe that the man could not pass because of all the different levels of gatekeepers and how each level of gatekeepers would be harder to pass (Kafka). I think this was to represent how in a capitalist society, wealth and social background is important to have because it could open many doors for you and how it could be an easy passage that way. The man struggled to pass because the gatekeeper’s warning. If the countryman was of more wealth or status, this fear would not be taken into account. In a psychological approach, this fear is something to think about closely, but by viewing in a Marxist viewpoint, it is easy to understand why this was a fear.
To redirect back to the idea of a socialist society, I think that it suggests that the efforts of the man was good enough and should have been given passage like how everything is rather equal in a socialist society . Kafka states, “The man, who has equipped himself with many things for his journey, spends everything, no matter how valuable, to win over the gatekeeper.” Without much, it makes it clear to the readers that any attempt and any object that the countryman had or did, was for the the opportunity to get somewhere better. In a socialist society, everyone is to be the same and not many attempts like the countrymans is ever needed. It can also be interpreted as how people in a non socialist society are faced with capitalism and have a social-economic divide between the people.
Overall, the reading itself demonstrates many social economic traits that make it more reasonable for me to take a Marxist approach rather than a psychological one. It is useful to also thinking critically in a psychological way in this case but I think that the motives of these characters are too infinite to be able to have a full solution of what is happening. By taking the Marxist approach, classism and social status is easier to read and understand as a principle because it gives some sort of resolution or understanding.