The Law

Hey guys, as you may know, last week we had a discussion on Kafka's Before the Law. I found it somewhat ironic how the man was in search of the law and even at one point states, "Everyone strives for the law," meaning it was something that was common, yet when we think of laws, in a sense, they are restrictions on certain things or tools to keep order. And so, going back to the title
—Before the Law— the man is "free" but he is going after something that would restrict him and a as a result, he sits and waits for permission to get to the law. If you think about what Dr. Johnson said about the man's obedience to the gatekeeper being the law, then this much makes sense. Consequently, by obeying the gatekeeper, he is not only restricting himself from what he so desperately seeks, but also restricting the freedom that he had "Before the Law".

I suppose this interpretation is based on defining laws as rules. Which means that the interpretation of the law could be based on one's definition of what the law is.  How would you define "the law" and based on that definition how would you interpret the man's quest?