“ Above all, the free man is superior to the man who has to serve another. ”
Franz Kafka, The Trial (1925). copy citation
| Author | Franz Kafka |
|---|---|
| Source | The Trial |
| Topic | freedom service |
| Date | 1925 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by David Wyllie |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/7849/pg7849-images.html |
Context
“But he's also being deceived by the man from the country as he's this man's subordinate and doesn't know it. There's a lot to indicate that he treats the man as his subordinate, I expect you remember, but those who hold this view would say it's very clear that he really is his subordinate. Above all, the free man is superior to the man who has to serve another. Now, the man really is free, he can go wherever he wants, the only thing forbidden to him is entry into the law and, what's more, there's only one man forbidding him to do so - the doorkeeper. If he takes the stool and sits down beside the door and stays there all his life he does this of his own free will, there's nothing in the story to say he was forced to do it.”
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Meaning and analysis
