In the Penal Colony

"In the Penal Colony" was a bit repetitive with the officer talking about the way things were done with the old commandant but the way this machine worked made this story seem much more gruesome than other stories like the country doctor with the patient. Overall, I thought this story was different than the other stories by Kafka because it demonstrates a different and gory way of carrying out the punishment of someone for their crimes. This machine and the society in which the people see these executions take place make it seem as though it is a normal kind of thing to see people suffer for 12 hours before their impending death. "The Metamorphosis, The Country Doctor, and A Report to an Academy" were each somewhat similar in the sense they each may represent the kind of life that Franz Kafka lived considering the issues with his father and the fact he died from starvation and had no one to be at his side in the end. But "In the Penal Colony" is different and more open about all other things besides the main character because every other story focused on the main characters' problems while this one mainly showed how society has grown accustomed to something inhumane and all a person can do to avoid it is to run away from it or become a part of it.