The parable, "Before the Law" by Franz Kafka, addressed the presence of limits and boundaries within the them of tragedy. The man in the parable wishes to enter into what he calls the Law, however, he cannot gain admittance from the first doorkeeper. Instead of attempting to enter into the Law against the doorkeeper's wishes, the man decides to wait for him to gain admittance with confirmation from the doorkeeper. He waits for a very long time, years even, to enter into the Law and finally becomes very stiff and is dying. He asks the doorkeeper, "so how does it happen that for all these many years no one but myself has ever begged for admittance?" (1), to which the doorkeeper replies: "No one else could ever be admitted here, since this gate was made only for you. I am now going to shut it." (1).
The doorkeeper's reply is extremely symbolic. The door entering into the Law represents the man's life, and as the man reaches his dying day, the "door to his life" will close. The man was so preoccupied with gaining admittance into the Law from the doorkeeper that he did not realize that it was his own mind that needed to be changed and not the mind of the doorkeeper. If you want a change to be made, you have to make it; the man allowed the limits and boundaries set forth by the doorkeeper dictate his life, and therefore never entered into the Law. He spent so much time doing what was "before the law", what was supposedly the right thing to do, but he never explored himself "above the law" and sometimes placing oneself above the law is exactly what needs to be done.
The story correlates that of the story of Antigone in a contrasting way. Antigone places herself above the law to make a change that she believed was right; she did not allow the limits set forth by Creon bind her to dishonor her dead brother, Polynices, and the Gods. Because of this, Antigone caused the change she wished to see despite the repercussions. The man in "Before the Law" allowed the limits set forth by the doorkeeper to bind him to stay before the law, never attempting to make the change he wished to see. Unlike Antigone, the man died waiting in constant wonder because he did not attempt to explore above the law because he was fearful of the consequences of his disobedience. Sometimes the higher and morally sound law is greater than the human laws set forth. Without exploration above the law and taking risks regardless of the punishments or tragedy that may accompany them, we would forever be limited and bound to what we are told is "right" and not necessarily what actually is right to us individually.
The doorkeeper's reply is extremely symbolic. The door entering into the Law represents the man's life, and as the man reaches his dying day, the "door to his life" will close. The man was so preoccupied with gaining admittance into the Law from the doorkeeper that he did not realize that it was his own mind that needed to be changed and not the mind of the doorkeeper. If you want a change to be made, you have to make it; the man allowed the limits and boundaries set forth by the doorkeeper dictate his life, and therefore never entered into the Law. He spent so much time doing what was "before the law", what was supposedly the right thing to do, but he never explored himself "above the law" and sometimes placing oneself above the law is exactly what needs to be done.
The story correlates that of the story of Antigone in a contrasting way. Antigone places herself above the law to make a change that she believed was right; she did not allow the limits set forth by Creon bind her to dishonor her dead brother, Polynices, and the Gods. Because of this, Antigone caused the change she wished to see despite the repercussions. The man in "Before the Law" allowed the limits set forth by the doorkeeper to bind him to stay before the law, never attempting to make the change he wished to see. Unlike Antigone, the man died waiting in constant wonder because he did not attempt to explore above the law because he was fearful of the consequences of his disobedience. Sometimes the higher and morally sound law is greater than the human laws set forth. Without exploration above the law and taking risks regardless of the punishments or tragedy that may accompany them, we would forever be limited and bound to what we are told is "right" and not necessarily what actually is right to us individually.