31 pages • 1 hour read
Franz KafkaIn the Penal Colony
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1919A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Chains
The chains symbolize the suffering and powerlessness of the subjects. This symbol reinforces the story’s meditations on injustice, imprisonment, and abuse of power. From the very beginning, the prisoner is in chains like an animal, and the chains are described as excessive:
a chain from which numerous smaller chains were attached, a pair going to the prisoner’s hands and another for his feet, as well as one chain that was attached to his neck, and then all of these were interconnected by yet a third level of chains (74).
This intense level of physical subjugation represents the helplessness of the prisoner in the face of authoritarian rule. He has no say. Just an hour after the major’s complaint, the officer condemned the prisoner and “had this man out in chains” (81) without giving him any chance to defend himself.
The rusted chains also indicate the degrading and inhumane treatment of the oppressive penal system and the way it strips individuals of their freedom and dignity. When the prisoner attempts “to cover up his nakedness,” the soldier raises “the chains up high and finishe[s] by removing every last stitch of clothing” (86). This also highlights how the justice system has taken complete control of his life and fate. The prisoner’s chains are “loosened” only when he reaches the machine, but they are immediately replaced with the machine’s restraints.
The Machine
The apparatus symbolizes “complete inhumanity” and institutionalized violence to support the theme of the abuse of power and control. The machine is described as “something else altogether” (74), which represents the grotesque quest of the ruling class for total authority over its subjects. The machine, with its huge stature, symbolizes authoritarian rule that demands fear and obedience while repressing the individuality of common people. It thrives on the suffering of its subjects, just as “the bed begins doing its dance” when it is fed a prisoner (78). The machine is made partially with glass, representing the way authoritarianism relies on spectacle and public violence to maintain control over others. The machine also symbolizes the cruelty and indifference of a justice system that treats people as objects that can be disposed of in a ditch. The sudden collapse of the machine indicates that the officer and the apparatus, which represents the justice system, are dysfunctional and flawed.
The torture itself is symbolic, taking 12 hours to carve a message into a prisoner’s torso before killing him. The message intended for this prisoner—“Honor thy Superiors” (79)—emphasizes the importance of obedience in authoritarian systems. Since viewing executions used to be mandatory, the machine and its messages are not only used to torture its victim but break the spirits of others, ensuring their obedience.
The Chair
Chairs and sitting are recurring motifs that reflect the traveler’s thought process and his response to the machine and the penal colony. Initially, he is seen “pacing back and forth” (74) since he knows nothing about the apparatus or the people present there. This supports the theme of lack of sense of belonging. When the officer offers, “[W]ouldn’t you like to have a seat?” (75), the traveler cannot refuse. However, he sits “down right by the edge” (75), as he has no interest in the officer’s explanations. Once the traveler’s interest develops, he starts picking up the conversation and sits “back upon his chair” (78) and crosses his legs. Soon after, when he learns that the prisoner is not given any opportunity to defend himself, “the traveler protest[s]—and at the same time he [rises] from out of his chair” (80). This expresses his discomfort with the situation, although he does nothing to change it. The officer also observes how the chair reflects the traveler’s mood; he immediately “insist[s] that the traveler sit[s] back down” in his chair (81).
It is also significant that the prisoner and the soldier are not offered any chair. This sets the disparate tone of the story and reveals the differences in power and control. The prisoner is standing enchained, and the soldier is “supporting himself upon the butt end of his rifle” (76).
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By Franz Kafka
