Franz Kafka's The Trial: themes and analysis

¶ … Trial by Franz Kafka is a typically existential work. Although abandoned before completion, the work nevertheless succeeds in depicting its themes of senselessness, hopelessness and the victimization that results in these feelings. The main character of the story, Joseph K. moves through a number of often surreal sequences focusing on his "arrest" and trial. The work ends with the protagonist's death, to which neither the reader nor Joseph K. can attach a large amount of meaning. Indeed his death, like the sequence of his life throughout the novel, appears senseless. This senselessness evokes in the reader a sort of horror. K. is obviously a character that has done well for himself in the world. He has a respectable professional position, attempts to do the right thing when he feels that this is called for, and moves through life like any law-abiding citizen. He was therefore wholly unprepared for the shock of reality when he realizes that the warrant for his arrest is not, after all, a practical joke. This sense of shock increases throughout Kafka's work, and is symbolized by the increasing amount of surrealism with which the reader and the unfortunate protagonist are bombarded.

By using surrealism, together with symbols such as stale air, Kafka impresses upon the reader the complete helplessness of the accused who does not know his crime and can therefore not sufficiently defend himself. The reader is led from puzzlement at the beginning of the novel to an increasing sense of horror, which culminates in the ultimate despair of the protagonist's death.

In Chapter 1, Kafka engages the reader right away by a puzzling situation. The main character, Joseph K. is upset in his routine by the failure of his breakfast to appear at the expected hour. At this early stage, Kafka already indicates Joseph K.'s future state of mind by the slightly paranoid statement: "Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K., he knew he had done nothing wrong but, one morning, he was arrested." (Kafka 1). The statement also indicates K.'s tendency to assume his own superiority over those who would spread such lies. He assumes the worst without any reason for such an implication.

The Chapter also foreshadows the surreal and inexplicable events to follow throughout the book. The situation moves from bad to worse when an unknown man informs him that there is a warrant for his arrest. Together with the reader, Joseph K. At first assumes to be the victim of an elaborate practical joke by his co-workers. It is interesting that the reader realizes before K. does that the situation is indeed much more serious than the protagonist initially assumes.

Another interesting element in the novel is the element of names. Joseph's surname is never revealed; through most of the novel, he is only known as 'K'. This element helps the reader to identify with him, despite the various flaws he displays throughout the novel. Indeed, the reader is continually moved between pity, identification and a sense of revulsion at K.'s traits and adventures. He is for example at times portrayed as a particularly curt and arrogant, with a somewhat superior air towards those he believes are inferior to himself. These people are mostly officials form the constrictive court that becomes an increasing part of K.'s life as the novel progresses. It is significant that he feels superior to the officials both at the beginning and at the end of the novel. Yet they exert the power of life and death over K., in the end leaving him no choice but to accept his fate.

The fact that K. is not named specifically, and also portrayed as a human being with a number of flaws, helps the reader to identify with him all the more and share in the resigned horror of the final scene. Chapter 1 then serves the function of introducing the extent of K.'s trouble to the reader, and also the way in which he reacts to the problem. He acts as a decent concienscious man towards those he feels have been inconvenienced by his morning adventures.

In terms of the arrest itself, K. gradually realizes the gravity of his situation, although at this early stage he cannot truly fathom the reality of it. Kafka creates a dichotomy in his protagonist not only of the reader's diversity of reactions to the character himself, but also in the question of his guilt. The reason for K.'s initial arrest and ultimate death is never revealed. Yet he speculates regarding his presumed guilt. In the back of his mind, there is a sense that he could possibly have broken the law without meaning to, or given the Court the inclination to single him out for persecution.

Still, Kafka goes to some length to describe the complete corruption of the Court, which entirely overshadows any wrongdoing that K. might have been guilty of. Indeed, K. has taken the law, order and justice within his society for granted as the framework within which he has achieved professional success. Hence he is unable to truly fathom the extent of his problems until later in the narrative.

Chapter 2 introduces further surreal elements to demonstrate the senselessness of K.'s trial and subsequent death. He is given a day on which to appear before the Court, but not a time. This sense of randomness is exacerbated by the fact that he cannot find the Courtroom, as the address he had been given comprises a building with various staircases and living areas. There is no indication of the location of the actual courtroom. It is ironic then, after having made the effort to arrive at 9a.m., he finally arrives in Court only at 10, and is then accused of being late. Perhaps it is indicative of the strength of his character that K. refuses to be drawn into an argument and simply states: "Well maybe I have arrived late, I'm here now." (Kafka 14)

With these words, he reacts rationally to a wildly irrational situation. He does however lose his composure later, when it appears that the whole crowd was against him, and only pretended to be on his side.

Another repetitive motif throughout the novel is the stuffy, oppressive air surrounding the Court premises. Whenever K. enters the Court meeting hall, or is in the vicinity of Court officials, he feels out of breath and sickened by the air that is too thick for him. This element marks the entire duration of K.'s relationship with the Court. The oppression of the air indicates the fact that the Court is not only a stuffy, old, traditional establishment, but also one that oppresses. K.'s previously-held position towards justice and fairness is completely destroyed by the reality of the oppression perpetrated by the Court. Chapter 2 then begins the theme of oppression that surrounds the Court, as well as the unfairness and entrapment perpetrated by this establishment.

Chapter 3 establishes K.'s relationship to women, which is also a theme continued throughout the novel. This theme is however somewhat incomplete and unsatisfactory, and critics tend to assume that Kafka's failure to finish the novel is to blame for this. The incompletion of K.'s relationships with women however could also indicate a deeper theme: His death, being premature and utterly without meaning or reason, renders his life both incomplete and meaningless. He has no time to establish meaningful relationships or resolve conflicts in his life. The young Fraulein Burstner, especially as she appears in Chapter 4, is symbolic of this.

In Chapter 3, however, establishes the tendency towards emptiness in K.'s attempted liaisons with women. K. attempts once again to attend a Court gathering, but finds the meeting hall empty, with a cleaning woman going about her duties. This woman practically throws herself at K. before her lover arrives. K. is tempted to fight for her, but not sufficiently so to move him towards action when it appears that the woman is happy to be abducted by her lover. Although K. reflects that he would very much like to have relations with her, this desire is not adamant enough to become part of K.'s reality. Indeed, not even the possibility of revenge on the Magistrate is sufficient motivation. He fantasizes quite clearly about how the judge would return to an empty bed, because K. had stolen her from him: "Maybe then, after much hard work writing dishonest reports about K., the judge would go to the woman's bed late one night and find it empty." (Kafka 21).

This was however not to be, as K. could not summon the energy even to overpower a thin, weak-looking student. This tendency towards lethargy is prophetic of the outcome of K.'s trial. The Court tends to drain the energy from its victims, and this is what gradually happens not only to K., but to all aspects of his life. Chapter 3 also takes the issue of air further. K. ascends upstairs to the law offices, but feels physically ill from the stale air when he arrives there. He is taken outside, where the fresh air revives him. In this Chapter, K. suffers two types of defeat; first the defeat of his aborted sexual conquest that would ultimately be a victory over the Magistrate, and secondly the defeat of the air making him unable to go the Court offices. He is physically unable to be in the vicinity of the Court, and therefore unable to attempt to resolve his legal problems.

Chapter 4 is another abortive attempt to reestablish his ties with a lady. Fraulein Burstner lets K. know via Fraulein Montag that she does not wish to see him, and subsequently leaves, to make only one more appearance in the novel. When K. enters her empty apartment to look for her, he feels that he is doing something not only wrong, but also pointless. This pointlessness emphasizes the lack of meaning mentioned above.

Chapter 5 returns to the theme of surreal horror that K. began to experience in the beginning of the novel. It is also here that K. begins to realize the gravity of his situation. When leaving work, a noise from a lumber room attracts his attention. The scene that greets him upon investigation is grotesque and horrific. The two warders responsible for his initial arrest are being whipped mercilessly. This is a punishment for their conduct, about which K. complained during his first day in Court. K. is racked not only by horror, but also by an extreme guilt for the men's misery. This marks the culmination of the mental breakdown for which the Court is eventually responsible:

Furthermore, the scene focuses on K.'s increasing sense of powerlessness, as indicated when he listens at the door to the lumber room: "He was no longer in any position to help anyone..." (Kafka 30). He is unable to help the men either by bribery or self-sacrifice. Before he can offer help, K. is driven away by the screams and calls of the men. The horror associated with this is symbolic of the gradual torture that the Court is perpetrating against K., although in a much more subtle way than the Whipper. K.'s indicates the breakdown that is beginning in earnest.

Chapter 6 further emphasizes K.'s mental breakdown by focusing on the protagonist's sense of reality. According to his actions in this chapter, he is still not quite aware of how serious his situation is. In addition, this chapter also contains his third meaningless tryst with a woman, Leni. This occurs during a visit to the Court Clerk, arranged by his uncle in an attempt to help K.K. however is seduced by Leni's charms to the point where he no longer considers the meeting important, and leaves with the girl. His uncle rebukes him, "We wanted to discuss how best to help you, I had to handle the lawyer very carefully, he had to handle the office director carefully, and you had most reason of all to at least give me some support." (Kafka 32).

K.'s actions appear to indicate that he does not really care at this point.

His flippant attitude however may also be indicative of K.'s progressive mental breakdown. The whipping scene from the previous chapter may have damaged him psychologically to such an extent that he was merely searching for an escape from the oppressive reality from the Court and its Clerks.

Indeed, Chapter 7 appears to confirm this. K.'s work and mental well-being is beginning to suffer as a result of his legal problems. He is exhausted from the strain, worry and frustration of the case. The emptiness of his sexual relations is indicated by the fact that he does not seek solace in the arms of a women in this case, but rather consults with a painter who has some experience of the Court. The painter brings home to K. The exact nature of his relationship with the Court. It is a no-win situation for K., but at least he can postpone his case indefinitely.

As the painter continues to make K. aware of this oppressive reality, K. again begins to be physically affected by the air quality around him. It becomes increasingly stuffy and K. is increasingly anxious to emerge into the fresh air. It appears that the oppressiveness of the air progresses together with the increasing oppression of the Court and K.'s deteriorating mental state: "... It was actually not the heat that made him uncomfortable but, much more, the stuffiness, the air that almost made it more difficult to breathe, the room had probably not been ventilated for a long time." (Kafka 42)

In terms of his relationships with women, it appears that Kafka, perhaps inadvertently, made a significant point about K.'s life and the control that the Court exerted over the short span of his life. The Court controlled him to such an extent that it was impossible to form meaningful relationships, maintain friendships, or indeed to perform well in any area of life. This, according to the painter, would be K.'s future, regardless of the type of "acquittal" he would receive.

Chapter 7 then marks a significant turning point for K, where he begins to truly come to terms with the darkness of his future. Perhaps this also indicates why K. appears to give up as it were at the end of Chapter 9, to meet his death at the end of the novel.

Whereas Chapter 7 represents a verbal account of K.'s dire future, Chapter 8 is a physical symbolization in the form of Block, a man who has been in the clutches of the Court for more than five years, and the years have taken their toll. This is also the chapter in which K. resolves to dispense with his lawyer's services. Upon waiting for the lawyer to appear, K. briefly sees Leni again. While he has a brief encounter with Leni and a bout of jealousy in addition, the two do not engage sexually. This again indicates K.'s absorption in his legal problems.

When the lawyer could not convince K. To retain him, Leni sends Block in, whose humiliation K. then witnesses. After five years of struggle with the Court, Block's physical and mental resources are depleted to such an extent that he fearfully allows Leni and the lawyer to humiliate him as they please. He appears to be a shell of a man, although he also appears to know everything about the Court and legal matters, about which he speaks at length to K. It then appears that the mental effort of understanding and battling with the Court has developed Block's capacity out of all proportion to the rest of him. This knowledge seems to have absorbed all his other faculties, both mental and physical.

Ironically, there is nothing useful he can do with this knowledge to help either himself or others. Indeed, all that he accomplishes is make prospective clients aware of the hopelessness of not only their current situation, but also of their future. At the end of Chapter 8, K. darkly reflects on Blocks resemblance to nothing better than a dog - this is the state the Court reduced him to in five years.

Chapter 9 furthers the theme of K.'s progressive lack of choice perpetrated by the Court, which is apparently present everywhere, like the stale air that surrounds it. In this Chapter, K.'s workplace difficulties are exacerbated by its increasing demands on his time and energy. He for example spends a large amount of the night in preparation for escorting an Italian client to important landmarks in his city. This places further strain on his mental faculties, already taxed by the stress related to his case.

The element of surrealism once again enters the narrative when K. is waiting for the Italian at the cathedral. The Italian is late, but the prison chaplain does arrived, dressed in priestly robes. The dreamlike and unreal quality of the scene is enhanced when K. attempts to leave the already nearly empty church before the sermon begins. He is startled when the priest calls out his name. The priest's explanation is that, as the prison chaplain, he is connected to the court, and that he was the one to summon K. To the church.