Because essentially all faiths propose a set of moral and behavioral laws on which one is expected to base one's life decisions, religion and crime are inexorably linked. Although today in our society we aim to separate the two controversial topics as much as possible, it cannot be denied that religion proposes rules and regulations in line with those of the government, and that a moral compass and spirituality play a role in dealing with cases penalties. No matter how prevalent the separation of church and state is in the contemporary movement toward secularism, people continue to swear by the Bible in court and talk about justice and repentance in church. Religion, particularly Christianity, has a subtle way of infiltrating criminal sentencing and punishment because in the past, laws originated from religious doctrines and were enforced by religious leaders who were often one and the same with government leaders. Although today the contrast between the judgment of faith and the judicial system has certainly diminished, its past presence leaves its mark in many aspects of human culture, especially in the arts such as literature. For example, this event can be seen in Franz Kafka's In the Penal Colony, which tells the chilling story of a stranger's visit to an isolated, primitive land in the tropics where prisoners are taken to be condemned and punished. While the system carried out in the story does not overtly reflect religious beliefs, many aspects and objects within the plot are highly symbolic of the ways of a world overseen by a ruthless god. Kafka's Penal Colony employs religious symbolism in a way that demonstrates the cruel incompetence of a justice system based on blind faith in a higher being, be it a god or a government. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, the setting and the apparatus, if one were to include the apparatus as an integral part of the setting, strongly symbolize many parts of the Christian faith. The penal colony itself resembles a sort of purgatory; the town is described as “a small, deep, sandy valley, closed on all sides by barren slopes” (1) where “the sun was excessively strong, trapped in the shadowless valley, and you could barely collect your thoughts ” (2). The penal colony is surrounded by a suffocating heat and an inescapable dazzling sun that appears similar to how one imagines the fiery tortures of purgatory. It is inhabited only by the punished who came here to be executed slowly and tortuously and by the punishers who work there to keep the community running. If the colony is a purgatory that keeps its inhabitants contained in their barbaric acts and experiences, the dark pit beneath the apparatus represents the hell into which the tortured and bleeding body is ultimately thrown. The apparatus itself strangely resembles a crucifix as its shape corresponds to that of the condemned man's body and also pierces him with a series of long needles similar to the nails of the cross; since “everyone can see through the glass” (6) the punishment was a huge public spectacle in which “the whole valley was packed with people…they just came to watch” (10). The whole image of the naked condemned man lying on the apparatus bed and being skewered by needles while the crowd watches excitedly is a striking comparison to the crucifixion of Christ. Additionally, many of the characters in Kafka's story align with prominent figures in religion. The officer himself pushes these biblical images further. He is a devoted follower of the original commander, the Old Man.