In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka has generated serious debate on the importance of justice and the deeper meanings in the story. Revolving around an explorer who has come to assess the “apparatus” or the executive tool in the penal colony, the tale is of extreme condemnation and violence of inhumanity. However, going into the depth of the story may lead the reader to believe that the author has provided a setting which was devoid of the concept of justice in humanity. This can further be understood by the references made to the Old Commandment which may be implied to refer to the Old Testament or god. The writing has several philosophical underpinnings especially those of the hierarchical order to the aesthetic, ethical and religious levels of beings coined by Kiergegaard.
The opposition of the ethical level with that of aesthetics, as proposed by Kiergegaard, has an uncanny resemblance in this story by Kafka. The manner in which the explorer puts aside his personal opinions especially viewed by the praise leveled for the “apparatus” by the officer is an instance which displays that the explorer would strive to attain the welfare of the entire universe or the common people rather than his own personal welfare. The opposition of the explorer to not vouch for validating the executions also points to this system of justice. In other words, one of the deepest underpinnings of the story lies in building the intimate core of justice to be neutral and be centrally focused to attain the welfare of the common people.
Murakami’s “On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning”
The story “On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning” by Haruki Murakami is a beautiful but sad tale of two people who deemed each other as the perfect romantic partner. Looking for the perfect romantic partner does not have any defined guidelines depending on the looks or personality traits. It is in fact largely dependent on emotions, thoughts and the mere gut feeling. The belief of an existence of a perfect romantic partner also helps in adding to this miracle of finding perfection in a romantic partner.
Most fairy tales are stories of perfect romantic relationships and the perfect life that you dwell. However, acquiring this perfection in reality is rather difficult. However, fairy tales are a guiding light that inspires one to believe in miracles of the existence of a perfect partner. This belief is something which helps stimulate a romantic relationship.
The narrator has used this fairy tale to let people know that once you believe to have found the perfect love, it is necessary to rely on this belief and not test it further. The fairy tale by the narrator provides a situation where the boy and girl drifts away to test their love. Despite accidentally meeting several years later, they are not in a position to voice their inward feelings to each other.
The underlying reality is that it is necessary to cling to miraculous beliefs of finding the perfect partner in order to have a life full of love and content as opposed to a life of loneliness and devoid of love. In today’s competitive world, people often go to choosing a convenient and compatible partner. However, the partner may not necessarily be the perfect romantic partner and this leads them to live a materialistic life devoid of love.
