After reading and rereading this short, yet deeply symbolic, parable several times, I have come to the conclusion that Kafka is equating the two aspects of illusion and reality. The parable seems to discredit our own senses by equating these two aspects. The illusion being how the trees smoothly rest on the surface of the snow and the reality being the trees’ firm attachment to the earth. Kafka is giving a subjective interpretation of an objective reality. However, while illusion and reality are held identical, the reader’s perception of ....