The story of Franz Kafka outlines the exploitation of power. “In the Penal Colony” explains an a deteriorate practice or system been used in an ignorant society. He tries to explain it through three characters the explorer, the prisoner, the soldier and the officer. The story tells about in perspective of all these persons. The blind belief on a primitive system is clearly shown through the officer. The officer is deeply proud with the apparatus, an execution machine developed by his old commandant. He is very much proud of that system and keen in explanation of its use. The contemned/ prisoner who is unknow for his sentence. Because he is in penal colony were there is no trail or no opportunity to defend himself. This is a kind of authoritative instance were the law is denied.
This is the situation sometimes government do in a society. The equal justice can be maintained only through a proper justice. The accused will also have equal right or opportunity to defend his side. The abuse of power results in exploitation of justice.
Read About: “In the Penal Colony”: Themes
The power structure in story outline the authoritative collusion of the officer. As he said about the apparatus functioning. As the apparatus was designed by his former deceased commandant. The apparatus itself is a justice system to punish accused. That is it write the sentences on the body of the condemned man about his violations with pearling needles and water will flush-out the blood. So he can read his violations which happens six hours of time. He will be sentenced to death within 12 hours of brutality. The system say it will bring an enlightenment to the prisoner. But the reality is he has no opportunity to prove or defend his violations. This is an autocratic system which has no humanitarian values.
The system is an autocratic system so the one who is powerful will not be affected by its proceedings. But the one who is powerless will not have a chance to prove his guilty. The torture techniques are still in the society limited to the one who is powerless. It also discussed the flaws in our law. The system need to adhere new techniques in order to bypass such flaws. These will only affect the poor ones rather it won’t affect the rich. The blind belief of the officer is evident in the story, as he is not willing to accept new procedure and he ends his life in that apparatus. The old procedures need to be analyzed in order to protect the justice. The authoritative decisions may hinder humanitarian values, the author is eager to address the exploitation of power.
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