Franz Kafka, Before the Law
We are met for a depressing allegory for the legal system's harshness, the struggle of life itself. The man waits for permission to enter the gate (presumably the law) but wastes away his life doing so. Finally, he begins to die and the gate is shut for good. The man sits, feeling the pressure of some sin, and waits for the law. What he misses, however, is that waiting to be admitted to the law process will not clear his name. He wastes his life, and dies waiting for something so impenetrable---something he longed to have the answers to, but he cannot have access to. This is meant to be a critique of the challenging legal system. Or, his unwillingness to be proactive and go through the gate is indicative of his guilt.