In the Penal Colony

“In the Penal Colony,” the officer, the deceased commandant and the apparatus itself allude to the events of Jesus' crucifixion. The apparatus functions as the cross while the old commandant is essentially god. The idea that the commandant is seeing as a deity becomes apparent when the explorer asks, “Did he combine everything in himself, then? Was he soldier, judge, mechanic, chemist, and draughtsman?” and the officer responds, “Indeed he was.” No only did the commandant built a device for punishment, but he possessed a distinctive amount of wisdom like a god. In the same vein, the crucifixion of Jesus is said to have lasted for about six hours, where as an execution in the penal colony takes twelve hours. By the sixth hour, however, the officer mentions how “the man lose all desire to eat” and that “enlightenment comes to the most dull-witted.” It’s almost as if prisoners begin to pray by this hour. This story perhaps serve as a commentary on religion and its outdated doctrines, which somehow endure time despite their basis in fantasy.