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An Examination of the Term Foreigner: Kafka’s “In the Penal Colony”

Although at first glance Franz Kafka’s style might seem straight-forward and concise; his thought-process runs much deeper. His ability to place ordinary, mundane conversations in peculiar situations set him apart as an author. In his short- story, “In the Penal Colony,” Franz Kafka examines the existence and meaning of an explorer in a disarrayed colony where the process of administering justice is in turmoil. In the passage on page 206, the author has written the narrative from a foreigner’s point of view. Kafka explores the notion of what it means to be a stranger. The issue of whether or not justice relies on compassion arises, as well as the question of whether or not an alien has a right to intervene in foreign-affairs. Franz Kafka manipulates the devices of figurative language and a complex representation of characters to examine the concept of borders.
When a process of punishment lacks the administration of justice according to established rules and princi...

Posted by: Carlos Hernandez

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