Setting

The island colony is supervised by uniformed soldiers of various ranks. Although their heavy, ornate uniforms are unsuitable for the tropical climate of the colony, they are worn as reminders of home. "We don't want to forget about home," the officer explains to the explorer. The geographical and the political setting are only hinted at by Kafka. Readers know that the valley in which the execution machine is located is a hot and sandy place, surrounded by "naked crags." Readers know that the colonial force is probably not European, but that the officer is able to communicate with the explorer in French. However, there is much that is unexplained. Strictly speaking, a penal colony would be an outpost used by a governing country for the expulsion of criminals. The luxury of exiling wrong-doers to a faraway place is only an option for a great power. This particular colony...