Tales from the Law

Description

From the pages of the book, we read the following tale:
«Our protagonist—the defendant—found himself at a loss. He bowed his head in deep contemplation, then retraced his steps away from the legal complaint, swallowing his disappointment and bidding farewell to his hopes. Suddenly, he realized he was wearing a garment that was not his own. He searched his memory, wondering if he might have changed clothes during a moment of absent-mindedness, but he became certain that no such thing had occurred. What kind of mystery was this? Is there even enough room left in one’s heart for clarity to endure, let alone space for an enigma to be unraveled?

He failed to notice that the lawsuit itself—into whose text he had ventured to explore—had gently draped the mantle of ‘defendant’ upon him; he had, in effect, become the defendant. This designation took the lead, much like a commander marching at the front, while his own name fell behind—only to rush forward whenever summoned, his heart pounding like a signifier performing its duty, before retreating once more to its place in the procession. His own name shrank, nearly fading into oblivion, overshadowed by the sheer magnitude of his new status: that of a defendant.

How remarkably fair a lawsuit can be! And part of this fairness lies in the gesture it made: it honored our protagonist by bestowing upon him the mantle of ‘defendant’ the very moment he stepped into its realm to contemplate it.» “It was neither a worn-out, faded, nor plain garment; rather, it was new, vibrant, and adorned with a variety of colors. Why, then, is he preparing to level accusations against her instead of preparing to sing her praises?” (From the tale “The Nature of the Claim”).