Trial by Franz Kafka the Human Sense

¶ … Trial" by Franz Kafka

The human sense of justice in "The Trial" by Franz Kafka

The field of literature is filled with stories depicting human suffering in both explicit and implicit forms, which made the readers empathize or react to the horrors depicted in these illustrations of suffering. However, there is a far more horrific portrayal of human suffering, and this is the experience of injustice in one's life. In the novel "The Trial," which was published in 1925, Franz Kafka provides effective description of a man's life driven by injustice, having been arrested for an accusation that he knew he had not committed.

The novel chronicles Josef K.'s struggle to prove his innocence throughout the novel. He had met with people who represent, in one or the other, parts of a clearly corrupt and unjust justice system. Upon reading the novel, one is clearly reminded of societies wherein justice is denied to the people, and is known and received only by the privileged, most particularly the most powerful, individuals or groups.

One of the most memorable incidents in the novel is its last scene, wherein Kafka narrates the path towards Josef K.'s death, which somehow points out that he has been found guilty of his crime after a year of being tortured to playing the rules of the game of his society's justice system.

The ending of the novel speaks of numerous symbolisms, shown through Josef K.'s various thoughts about justice and the futility of proving himself innocent to the court and the law. In the last paragraphs of the novel, Kafka speaks put Josef K.'s thoughts about his plight:

K. now knew it would be his duty to take the knife as it passed from hand to hand ... But he did not do it ... He was not able to show his full worth ... Would anyone help? Were there objections that had been forgotten? There must have been some ... Where was the judge he'd never seen? Where was the high court he had never reached?...

This passage brings into light the fact that injustice can happen to anyone, even to successful and prosperous people like Josef K. The mood of helplessness in this passage helps bring out the feeling of human suffering in the most real sense: we, the readers, cannot help but feel empathy for the protagonist. His thoughts are not uncommon among people, who have once in their lives experienced injustice in another form. But the author clearly wants us, the readers, to experience how it feels to be both included and excluded in the justice system. The individual is included in this system because she or he has helped create this body which purportedly would help civil society to achieve a justice. However, as in the novel, it is this very body that seeks to oppress and provide injustice to society, which happened to Josef K.