An Analysis of the Theme of Guilt in Franz Kafka's Novel The Trial Essay

"Someone must have been telling lies about Joseph K., for without havingdone anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning (FK 1). " In his bookentitled "The Trial," Franz Kafka introduces the reader to the maincharacter and presents a major theme in the novel with this sentence. Thesentence leads the readers to assume that (1) Joseph is a decent man, farfrom a criminal and (2) there is a flaw in the process itself. Kafka hascomposed this sentence in a way, which may influence the readers to believethat the arrest is a mistake. With these subtle context clues arises thequestion of guilt. Joseph's crime is never directly stated anywhere in thenovel. It remains an enigma to the reader and to Joseph. Ultimately, atthe end, Joseph is executed superficially without conviction. Probingdeeper, however, one ponders the question of original sin. Is Josephguilty for merely existing? Is his incessant denial of committing acriminal offense a crime in its self? In 'The Trial," Joseph may not beguilty in the sense of committing a sin, but could be guilt itself.An important note to keep in mind while reading "The Trial" is Kafka'sstructural organization of paragraphs. Most of the paragraphs areconfusing and lengthy some even more than one or two pages long. Inchapter two when Joseph is speaking at the Court of Inquiry, he is abruptlyinterrupted by the shrieks of a woman. Kafka explains the scene in almosttwo pages, paying extreme attention to detail. Most of his descriptionsseem unnecessary, redundant, and quite confusing. At one point he isdescribing the scene of one part of the room, then Kafka describes arevelation, which occurs to Joseph about the men to whom he is speaking.Ordinarily, an author would designate a separate paragraph to Joseph'srevelation about the men and his situation. Kafka however continues hisideas in large paragraphs. He writes in a stream of consciousness, makingit complicated for readers. It is confusing and disorienting at times,even demanding that the reader re-read for clarification. Kafka's uniqueorganization...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Character Analysis of Annie Wilkes in Misery by Stephen King Essay

What does it take to frighten an author of best-selling horror novels? In Misery, Stephen King embodies a writer's fears about himself as a writer and about the continuation of his creativity in a richly elaborated and horrifi-cally psychotic woman, Annie Wilkes. In the novel, Annie represents a mother figure, a goddess, and a "constant reader". In reality, however, An-nie merely represents a creative part of King's mind.Annie Wilkes is a proud mother of two children--a historical-romance novelist, Paul Sheldon, and his extremely popular heroine Misery Chastain. Annie must nurse and educate Paul. Gottschalk elaborates, "Annie views Paul in a madly maternal way. Early in her custody of Paul, she brings him pills for his excruciating pain, but he must suck them off her fingers in a grotesque parody of a nursing child" (125). If she leaves him untended too long, Paul wets his bed, and she must change his sheets and clothes. When he is tired or frustrated, he we...
Read more

An Analysis of the Character of Chichikov in the Poem, Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol Essay

Dead Souls takes place in the Russia of the late 1800s, where, unlike in America, one must be born into a prosperous family in order to have opportunities. The main character, Chichikov, is clever enough to develop a scheme in which he can rise from being a petty clerk to a respected landowner. In order to do this, Chichikov moves into a new town, pretending to already be a landowner, and begins a quest to buy the names of dead serfs who have not yet been officially reported dead. Each person that Chichkov presents this offer to has a different reaction, starting with the shy and introverted Manilov. Though he does not understand Chichikov's need for the names of these dead serfs, Manilov is a character that is so desperate for company that it does not take any effort to trick him into selling his dead souls cheaply. However, as Chichikov continues his journey, he starts to deal with more clever landowners who become suspicious of his scheme. Chichikov finds that the townsmen know...
Read more

Religious Symbolism in The Blessed Damozel, a Poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti Essay

Dante Gabriel Rossettis poem The Blessed Damozel is full of religious symbolism. There is talk of saints, and the poem itself takes place in heaven. But underneath the religious symbolism is a deep sensuality, that makes one wonder if the white rose of Marys gift referred to in line nine is the gift of Mary the Virgin, or the somewhat less virginal Mary Magdalene. While the Damozel is in heaven, her appearance in heaven, her behaviors in life, and what happens when she and her lover are reunited suggest some less than virginal dealings, yet the damozel is blessed and resides in heaven. Rossetti was the child of liberals kicked out of Italy a heavily catholic country for their extreme political views. While Rossetti himself was not political, he may have espoused similar views regarding politics and religion as his parents. In the poem The Blessed Damozel, Rossetti was given the chance to essentially create his own heaven. Most everything he wrote seems to show that Rossetti espoused ...
Read more