The Condemned Man
Kafka depicts the Condemned Man “bound by his feet and wrist bones, as well as by his neck” (1). His face expresses “dog-like resignation” (1). He doesn’t know French and doesn’t understand what the Officer says, but he tries not to miss a word, following the conversation with “sleepy persistence” (2). He stands “stiffly” (5), uncertain and scared of the apparatus. When he is freed, an expression of genuine relief is depicted on his face. These vivid, emotive descriptors cause the reader to sympathize with the Condemned Man and view the Officer negatively.
The Apparatus
The apparatus is supposed to help to render justice, but it is described as looking like a terrifying torturing machine. It is “built deep into the earth” (1). All its three parts—The Harrow, The Bed, and The Inscriber—are large and violent. This “massive construction” of a dark color is created for long and humiliating executions. The glass of the apparatus also performs a function of a certain morbid nature, allowing people to observe the process of the execution in detail. People used to gather around, watching or listening to “groans of the condemned man, muffled by the felt" (10). Every word Kafka uses to describe this machine can be read in an objective, utilitarian, and non-threatening way; however, taken together the image of the machine is one of horror and incomprehensibility.
The Old Commandant’s Grave
The Officer tells the Explorer that the old Commandant used to be a genius, and that his wisdom should be worshiped. Later on, the Explorer finds out that the old Commandant is buried in the tea house near the back wall. The Explorer sees that there is a grave stone—not a monument, but “a simple stone, low enough for it to remain hidden under a table" (19). The only one thing which indicates who is buried under it is “an inscription in very small letters” (19). The descriptions and the gravestone give us an image of the Commandant even though Kafka does not really provide one. In contrast to the Officer's description, the imagery of the gravestone implies that the Old Commandant is an unimportant figure who is already being forgotten.
The Valley
Kafka alludes to the cruelty of the apparatus through his description of the valley, setting for the execution. It is a "small, deep, sandy" (1) place with "barren slopes" (1) and a blazing hot sun. It is bereft of greenery or anything that can bring relief to its visitors. Thus, it is a fitting place for an instrument of torture as both can be described in equally straightforward ways that belie the suffering that comes with them.
