The Trial
by Franz Kafka
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Book Summary Information
Author: Franz KafkaEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1995-03-28
ISBN: 0805210407
Number of pages: 312
Publisher: Schocken
Book Reviews of The Trial
Book Review: Incomplete and drawn out
Summary: 3 Stars
In this novel Kafka tries, with some success, to denounce and deprecate the
bureaucracy of his time which likely included an all-powerful judicial system and
an oppressive government. Kafka wrote the novel with the intention of inciting
into others the discouragement he felt towards the higher powers. Although
Kafka does achieve his goal of criticizing and condemning the bureaucracy of
his day, he does so in a protracted way, including details which do not add to the
work as a whole.
The novel takes place at the same time in which Kafka wrote it - the early
twentieth century. There is no doubt that Kafka was frustrated with the
established government at the time or perhaps, like Orwell, was afraid of what
the future might bring should they continue down their current path. His
protestation of Big Brother surfaces through the narrative of the protagonist,
Joseph K., who is arrested, tried, and killed without ever being informed of his
crime. Kafka makes it clear in the first line that K. is innocent, writing "...one
morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested". Kafka's
intent to condemn is seen as K. spends a year on his trial, never truly getting
anywhere or even coming into prolonged contact with the court, and is finally
killed based on proceedings and affairs he was never made part of. Satire is
seen, when one knows Kafka's intent, as the narration states immediately after
his arrest, "K. lived in a state governed by law, there was universal peace, all
statutes were in force; who dared assault him in his own lodgings?." Kafka
portrays K. spending countless hours on his trial (never really penetrating the
outer level of the court system) and then, in a matter of pages, the whole ordeal
is over and Joseph K. is dead. This abruptness is used to show Kafka's
discernment of an all-powerful and uncontrollable bureaucracy.
Besides his idea of an unyielding bureaucracy controlling the lives and destinies
of all people, Kafka achieves little through this novel. It is quite obvious that the
novel is unfinished. Much detail is included that does not contribute to the ideas
and themes and is, to be blunt, pointless. Characters are introduced and events
occur which do not advance Kafka's intentions but simply create dullness within
a novel that would otherwise be thoroughly interesting. The novel, in my mind, is
not tightly written and includes unnecessary fragments that, if the novel were
finished, would perhaps contribute to its themes. As is, however, they are simply
words and pages with no contributing meaning. One important aspect I feel was
left out is the resistance to the corrupt judicial system. K. questions his arrest at
the very beginning but, after that, simply pursues trying to win his case and
never makes any attempt to fight the system and adamantly proclaim his
innocence. I feel the main theme would be stronger had K. fought for his
freedom and innocence and then been crushed by the almighty bureaucracy.
Kafka does, despite a lack of conciseness and clarity throughout, employ
elements such as symbolism and imagery to highlight his main theme.
Symbolism is used to show Kafka's obvious true feelings of the courts. All the
court offices and all of K.'s contact with the courts take place in run-down attics
in which the air is "thick and stifling" making it so "you can hardly breathe." This
setting symbolizes how Kafka sees the true nature of the courts. Imagery also
helps emphasize the iniquity of the court as when "the hands of one man were
right at K.'s throat, while the other thrust the knife into his heart and turned it
there twice." This outrageous image suffices to instill a dislike and, almost,
enmity of the system that caused it. At times, the elevated diction and style
Kafka uses contributes to the monotony. Complex sentences and paragraphs full
of detail that is not relevant induce a tediousness in reading that results in a dull
read. Overall, the book achieves its intended goal yet does so in a monotonous,
long-winded way. If you wish to read a book similar to this in theme yet one in
which every aspect of the novel is crucial and adds insight to the book as a
whole, I would suggest reading Orwell's 1984. I feel that The Trial does not
achieve it's point as effectively and with as much clarity as it could have.
The Trial by Franz Kafka is a book undermining the rectitude and righteousness
of the bureaucracy. Kafka uses K., who is tried and killed without ever having
done anything wrong and never being informed of his crime, to show that the
government and/or judicial system in Austria-Hungary in the early 1900's was
corrupt, authoritative, and uncontrollable. This longer work of Kafka's achieves
its goal in a drawn out fashion and tends to become pointless and boring at
times. If interested in Franz Kafka, I would recommend one of his more concise,
shorter works such as "The Metamorphosis".
Summary of The Trial
Written in 1914 but not published until 1925, a year after Kafka?s death, The Trial is the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, The Trial has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers.
A terrifying psychological trip into the life of one Joseph K., an ordinary man who wakes up one day to find himself accused of a crime he did not commit, a crime whose nature is never revealed to him. Once arrested, he is released, but must report to court on a regular basis--an event that proves maddening, as nothing is ever resolved. As he grows more uncertain of his fate, his personal life--including work at a bank and his relations with his landlady and a young woman who lives next door--becomes increasingly unpredictable. As K. tries to gain control, he succeeds only in accelerating his own excruciating downward spiral.
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