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A protagonist with an ambiguous moral compass, the explorer is a distinguished visitor to the penal colony implied to have a European background. As the explorer witnesses the officer’s dying way of life, he comes to represents a Western, liberal mindset. Invited to attend the execution by the new Commandant,the explorer is initially bored with the officer’s explanation of the apparatus and its specific method of execution. However, his indifference soon shifts to horror as he learns the exact nature of the punitive system in the penal colony and the inhumane methods used to dispense the officer’s idea of justice. Nevertheless, throughout the story the explorer downplays his authority and does not intervene in the execution of the prisoner despite his private misgivings. The explorer couches his lack of action as deference to cultural difference in order to absolve himself of culpability. When the officer pushes the explorer to speak up about preserving the use of the apparatus, however, the explorer tells him he will not support the officer, pointing out that because the new Commandant does not support the officer, his way of life is likely over anyway. When the officer then straps himself to the apparatus, the explorer seems to believe that the officer is doing the right thing—dying for his convictions. Ultimately, the explorer’s conscience does get the best of him as he tries in vain to save the officer before his death. As he leaves the island, the explorer notably prevents the soldier and prisoner from coming with him—thereby further distancing himself from any connection with life on the penal colony. Though he condemns the officer’s version of justice, the explorer’s cowardly, self-serving actions also suggest that the West is not immune to inhumanity and cruelty.
The Explorer Quotes in In the Penal Colony
The In the Penal Colony quotes below are all either spoken by The Explorer or refer to The Explorer . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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In the Penal Colony Quotes
“Enlightenment comes to the most dull-witted. It begins around the eyes. From there it radiates. A moment that might tempt one to get under the Harrow oneself. Nothing more happens than that the man begins to understand the inscription, he purses his mouth as if he were listening. You have seen how difficult it is to decipher the script with one's eyes; but our man deciphers it with his wounds.”
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As the officer continues to explain the workings of the apparatus to the explorer, he points out a crucial part of the machine—the way it reveals “justice” to the prisoner. Instead of simply being told their sentence, the guilty learn the reason they are strapped to the apparatus through its excruciating work, which carves the sentence into their body with needles over and over again. What’s significant about this form of punishment is that its aim is not to offer any chance of rehabilitation or repentance to the person who committed an offense; their fate is clearly death. The reason Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inve
You are a foreigner, mind your own business. He could make no answer to that, unless he were to add that he was amazed at himself in this connection, for he traveled only as an observer, with no intention at all of altering other people's methods of administering justice. Yet here he found himself strongly tempted. The injustice of the procedure and the inhumanity of the execution were undeniable.
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The explorer, watching the officer and soldier begin to strap the prisoner to the apparatus, continues to have conflicted thoughts about his role in the proceedings. He wants to avoid conflict and assure himself he is simply a casual observer, yet he also understands that by not intervening he is complicit in an undeniable demonstration of cruelty. The explorer is struggling with his role in the penal colony as he is only guest, yet his Western sensibilities balk at the system of justice the officer has explained to him. The “inhumanity” of the procedure is a keen judgment against the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Mi
“He has calculated it carefully: this is your second day on the island, you did not know the old Commandant and his ways, you are conditioned by European ways of thought, perhaps you object on principle to capital punishment in general and to such mechanical instruments of death in particular…”
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The officer explains his theory about the schemes of the new Commandant to oust the use of the apparatus, and subsequently the officer’s entire system of justice, from the penal colony. Using the opinion of a famous guest like the explorer would enhance the new Commandant’s viewpoint and finally put the officer’s way of administering justice to an end. The officer cites the explorer’s “European ways of thought” as the reason for his potential objection to the apparatus. This reinforces the idea that the explorer, and the new Commandant, represent a liberal mindset that is oriented toward progress and way Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaq
“Of course the Commandant is the kind of man to have turned these conferences into public spectacles. He has had a gallery built that is always packed with spectators. I am compelled to take part in the conferences, but they make me sick with disgust.”
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The officer continues to rant about the new Commandant to the explorer and explains how the new leader has made changes to the way that society operates in the penal colony. In the past, residents of the penal colony would only participate in public life at the executions, crowding around the apparatus to watch prisoners be tortured. In contrast, the new Commandant invites the public to conferences where there is accountability and participation in civic life that doesn’t inherently involve death. This develops the notion that the new Commandant is aiming toward progress in a democratic manner that tries to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium
Now the officer began to spell it, letter by letter, and then read out the words. “‘BE JUST!’ is what is written there,” he said, “surely you can read it now.”
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Having resolved to become the final victim of the apparatus, the officer spells out his own sentence for the explorer, who is still pained to make out what is written on the slips of paper that direct the Harrow’s writing. By revealing the text, the officer is stating that his crime is injustice. From his perspective, the officer could not maintain the structures that would properly ensure justice. The fact that the explorer still cannot read the script, however, again suggests that understanding that this system is unintelligible to a progressive outsider. The officer is also imploring the explorer to, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veni
The explorer bit his lips and said nothing. He knew very well what was going to happen, but he had no right to obstruct the officer in anything. If the judicial procedure which the officer cherished were really so near its end—possibly as a result of his own intervention, as to which he felt himself pledged—then the officer was doing the right thing; in his place the explorer would not have acted otherwise.
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The explorer understands that the officer, having placed his sentence in the apparatus and stripped naked, is going to sacrifice himself and die for the system of justice he believes in so much. Despite his disgust for the apparatus, the explorer respects the conviction that binds the officer to his way of life. This conviction notably contrasts with the explorer’s own hesitancy to speak up throughout the story, suggesting that his own morals, however progressive, are more loosely held than those of the officer. The explorer’s thinking here again helps him rationalize his lack of action: he cannot disturb the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Pr
The condemned man especially seemed struck with the notion that some great change was impending. What had happened to him was now going to happen to the officer. Perhaps even to the very end. Apparently the foreign explorer had given the order for it. So this was revenge. Although he himself had not suffered to the end, he was to be revenged to the end. A broad, silent grin now appeared on his face and stayed there all the rest of the time.
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The prisoner, now freed from the apparatus, is slowly realizing that the officer is going to suffer the fate that was originally planned for himself. The dawning realization on the part of this member of the penal colony points to the bigger shift at work with the officer’s death—the social shift toward progress and away from the traditional authoritarian structures. The awakening of the prisoner also shows the extremity of the reversal of power at work as the officer dies. For the first time it appears that the prisoner is even able to formulate thoughts in response to things that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas.
[…] no sign was visible of the promised redemption; what the others had found in the machine the officer had not found; the lips were firmly pressed together, the eyes were open with the same expression as in life, the look was calm and convinced, through the forehead went the point of the great iron spike.
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In the officer’s final moments, the explorer sees that his face does not bear the mark of redemption that the officer had boasted comes with dying via the apparatus. Instead, the officer dies with conviction but no sense of being enlightened or redeemed. This is an ambiguous ending that could suggest redemption via apparatus is impossible and instead was a projection of the officer onto dying men. This system of justice is shown to be flawed and murderous instead of the pinnacle of human order that the officer believed in, and the officer dies without dignity. This implicitly undercuts his Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque
Here rests the old Commandant. His adherents, who now must be nameless, have dug this grave and set up this stone. There is a prophecy that after a certain number of years the commandant will rise again and lead his adherents from this house to recover the colony. Have faith and wait!
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The soldier takes the explorer to a teahouse, where the explorer reads the headstone of the old Commandant. The message of the headstone clearly shows the religious significance of the old Commandant, who ruled the penal colony like an authoritarian god and commanded religious devotion from his adherents. The stone suggests that the old Commandant will, like a messiah, come back to help his followers. The role of the headstone near the end of the story lends more significance to the officer’s sacrifice because it couches the death in the context of religious belief, which the story suggests is a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas au
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The Explorer Character Timeline in In the Penal Colony
The timeline below shows where the character The Explorer appears in In the Penal Colony. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
In the Penal Colony
An officer is proudly showing an explorer a machine called the apparatus, which will be used for an execution on a penal...
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...come up with any better ideas even if he had “a thousand new schemes.” The explorer (who is disinterested and hardly listening) and officer hold their conversation in French, though this...
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...various parts of the apparatus, its three different components—the Bed, the Designer, and the Harrow—the explorer becomes more interested in the machine. The officer shows contempt toward the new Commandant, who...
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Learning of the prisoner’s sentence troubles the explorer, who becomes curious about the exact system of justice in the penal colony. The officer...
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...the apparatus, more eager to explain its function than the rule of law, as the explorer begins to be agitated by the proceedings.
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Ready to be finished with the tour, the explorer exudes distaste for the officer and his system by rationalizes the methods of execution to...
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Showing the explorer the “most important” part of the execution, the officer carefully reveals the guiding plans of...
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...a prisoner “deciphers” his sentence with his “wounds,” which he admits to the still silent explorer, is very hard work.
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As the officer and the soldier busy themselves with preparing the prisoner for execution, the explorer struggles with his role in the situation. He notes that it’s “ticklish to intervene in...
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Whisking the explorer back to a better time, the officer describes the days of executions during the time...
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Embarrassed by the officer’s passion, the explorer remains quiet. Realizing it is quite hard to believe, the officer nonetheless argues that the...
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The officer continues to rant, pointing out that the explorer is probably thinking that in Europe they haven’t used torture since “the Middle Ages.” The...
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The explorer’s resistance causes the officer to become even more fervent about the importance of preserving the...
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Patronizing and steadfast in his convictions, the explorer says he is “touched” by the conviction of the officer but refuses to help him...
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...with the apparatus, the officer spells out his own sentence—"BE JUST!”—and shows it to the explorer. As with the previous script, the explorer cannot read the words, but the officer is...
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...officer quickly and stoically strips naked, breaks his sword, and climbs onto the apparatus. The explorer is uncomfortable with the officer’s behavior but ultimately believes that the officer’s decision to execute...
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...hand and “grins” at the revenge about to take place, attributing this change to the explorer’s intervention. With grace and an adept hand, the officer turns on the apparatus and demonstrates...
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Starting of its own accord, the apparatus does its work, at first silently to the explorer, who is completely entranced before noticing the curious and rapt attention of the soldier and...
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The explorer finally decides to act once he realizes the officer’s death will be “plain murder” rather...
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The explorer, soldier, and prisoner return to the penal colony and visit a teahouse, which holds the...
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Before leaving the teahouse, the explorer distributes some coins to the dockworkers, a quiet, homely group of men who are just...
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