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well, i re-read the story last night, and although i kind of remember reading it before, i can honestly say i really don't know what it means. i did have a few ideas, though, so i can just try to explain those, to see if they make any sense to you.
the first thing that struck me about the story is that it was an examination of reality- actually, an examination of people's subjective interpretations of objective reality. meaning, the main guy in the story saw life in a way that was completely different from how the other guy (the supplicant) actually lived. the main guy seemed to be something along the lines of a "normal" person. normal in the sense that he was quiet, mostly submissive and passive, didn't like anyone who was not mostly quiet, but willing to make some grand confrontation for their way of life, becuase they were confident they were in "the right." in this story, even though the main guy is practically stalking the girl, i still see him as the run of the mill, everyday private citizen- and this stalking thing might be there to show that even the "normal" people are screwed up, too, although they either won't admit it or don't realize it.
after he confronts the supplicant, in his moment of bradavo and glory in accosting the supplicant for having the nerve to be outrageous and different, you can see how the main guy breaks down completely- his false sense of righteousness does not carry him through, and he finds that he was acting only on ego and not on anything substantial. i found this interesting- how the main guy, after the supplicant starting telling of his life, only wanted to get back to the comfort of his own way of life, and not have to hear about this supplicant and his different ways- so much to the extent that he actually blamed the supplicant himself for initiating this discomfort and attack on his sensibilities.
the supplicant, for his part, seemed every bit as insecure as the main guy, except that he knew it. i think socrates said something like "a man is a fool because he thinks he is wise- but a man is wise when knows he is not wise." something to that effect, anyway- the point being that the arrogance of thinking you are infalliable makes one ineffectual if not even dangerous, but the openness associated with the willingness to learn- and the grace to recognise and accept ones limitations- is an advantage. which is why the supplicant could speak with conviction, because he was speaking the truth; a truth he came to after reflecting on and examining his own life. instead of, like the main guy, just assuming he was right and living based on that assumption.
what the supplicant says is interesting, too, i think. at least, i was entertianed by the way he went on about being an outsider and always feeling there was something goingon that everyone knew about except him. i think this is a theme that rns through much of kafka's works, but also kind of slant-ways runs into other authors.
it was this paranoia that consumed him and forced him to act out his outlandish worhip in church that drew the main guy's scron to bear on him- as everyone knows that the people who pray the loudest are those who pray the least- this action was even condemmed by jesus himself. however, the supplicant, as it turns out, wasn't praying this way so that god would notice him, but so that other people would- he was so convinced that there was a conspiracy against him that he lived his life so that he would always be the center of attention. the logic behind this might have been that if people were openly talking about him in plain view, they could not be talking about him behind his back. which is kind of a sick way to think in reality, but i think kafka was only using this as a symbol. instead of earning ridicule for his outlandish prayer, i think the real reason this man was outcast was because the general public did not trust him- because he thought too much, and no one seems to trust someone who thinks too much. i have experineced this first hand, and i think it was true in kafka's day, too. what peopel are comfortable with is other people just as dumb as they are, and will therefore follow blindly along when the mass of the dumb is being led from comfort to comfort, as any abberation could lead to discomfort. people didn't like the way the supplicant thought and examined his life, because they didn't want to have to examine their lives, as that would put their ignorant comfort at risk. instead, they took to being closed to this man, sort of en mass uniting against this "common enemy," which lead the supplicant to his paranoia of there being all this conversation, blissful living and calm and beautiful existance of things he cannot know about.
actually, the more i think about this, the more i tend to think (although perhaps i'm seeing what i want to see) in this story, kafka really is talking about socrates, or at least drawing many parallels. i don't know what yo uknow about socrates' life, but it was sort of similar to what the supplicant goes through- socrates was definatly an outcast in athens, because he was a thron in the side of the government of the time, because he was always questioning everything. the way the supplicant speaks in the story is fairly reminiscint of philosophical discourse- at least it is at times just as incomprehensible. but the supplicant never waivers in his ideas, either. he knows what he knows, is sure it is right, but is equally sure that there is so much he does not know- which is why he is talking to the main guy, to see if the main guy has any answers for him or is willing to comment if he has experienced any of the same things the supplicant has.
basically, though, i think the story comes down to this- to quote a line from a cleveland punk rock band "...the thinking man is ridiculed / minority of one...." (whatever...'s song "dominion"). this is why the supplicant was acting as he did, and this is why the main guy accosted him for his actions. it also explains the conversation between the two, and their reactions during the conversation.
one thing that still puzzles me, though, it the last paragraph of the story. it seems to me that the main guy suddenly contradicts himself in relation to his view of the woman-in-the-garden story, going from saying it was an astounding example to saying it was utterly commonplace. at both expressions, though, the supplicant seemed pleased. my only explination for this is that, at first, when the main guy said it sounded like an important story, the supplicant thought he might have found an ally, or at least someone who was as puzzled by the mysteries of life as he. but then, when the main guy retracted and downplayed the importance of the story, the supplicant "seemed very delightful." perhaps it is because he realized that the main guy was actally "one of them," and not an ally after all. this could be why he complimented the main guy on such superficial things as his appearance- as he knew saying these things would placate the main guy and erase from his mind the past discussion, that the main guy was probably very happy to end and forget, anyway. then, the last sentence might serve to show that the supplicant took the main guy's change of heart as proof that what he was saying was true; the main guy knew it to be true, but only subconscoiusly, and since it made him uncomfortable to think and to question, he was subconsciously prompted to avoid that topic. so when he did avoid this topic, the supplicant's impressions of reality were justified, because the main guy would have no need to avoid that topic if it were not true.
of course, this is just what i think in a very stream-of-consciousness, without putting much in-depth thought into it. i'd be interested to hear what you think, and what you were able to come up with. if you feel like it, and have the time, i'd appreciate anything you can send me, as i like to read other peoples' ideas on these stories, too. i don't know if anyone can every be right, but i do think a better understanding is gained by looking at it from different points of view.
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