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A review by sidharthvardhan
The Trial by Franz Kafka
5.0
Somebody must mention here that the book is not complete that one of its chapters is incomplete. Kafka died before he could finish the book, actually I have discovered that Metamorphosis is the only novel (if you consider it one) that he was able to finish. After Kafka's death in 1924 his friend and literary executor Max Brod edited the text for publication by Verlag Die Schmiede. There are thus some inconsistencies in the book.
Still the book is ranked as second best of all German novels of twentieth century and rightly so. Anyone who knows anything about legal proceedings should be able to understand the greatness of book. While you may know, unlike K., the reason for your arrest that doesn't help much.
Defects of Legal system
The corruption of the system is pointed out through the book - bribes, the advantages of having 'contacts'. Then the need for 'experiences' and lack of awareness of the way things go are felt by all those involved with law suits. The royal ways of the 'honourable' judges (the judges have a painter on-roll that would paint them) and indifferent ways of advocates are things you could in real lives. The powerlessness a person feels with the system is visible though out. Everybody K. meets is though powerless and he is never able to higher officers despite all his efforts. Whatever the places K. visit for his trial including the court are established in strangest and backwards places.
The secrecy of it all
There is a certain secrecy in the whole system (exaggerated when compared to real world but only slightly) K doesn't know what documents are submitted in his defense, but even those who have access to these documents would not had made much sense of it. There is also, another smaller allegory within this main story that brings out this vagueness of ways of the system.
Vulnerability towards lawyers
Because of our lack of awareness of legal proceedings, we are overly dependent on the experts - the advocates to point of vulnerability ('He was no longer a client, he was the lawyer’s dog.') that was my favorite chapter in the book and unfortunately that was the chapter left unfinished.
The trial is the prison?
The legal proceeding start interfering both with K.'s work and personal life. It becomes a burden which takes its heavy toll from other spheres of his life. That is another experience that those involved in law suits are aware of. The arrest at the beginning is perhaps the allegory for that. Although K. is see as free through out the book but the trial is all he can think about. In a certain sense he is prisoner already. His love life is ruined, his office performance is suffering and he can't shake himself free of the trial.
Why so sexy?
For some reason there is a lot of sex in the story. Everywhere he goes in concern with trial, he finds some woman waiting to throw herself on him. A priest he meets later, thinks that it is not as good an idea. I can't make out much of that part, specially given that the book is otherwise is avoiding useless details.
In so many ways k. can be seen as character of low morale. He has no family around, no friends and is a womanizer. He is happy enough to offer women to Judges is he can and if could benefit from it. He feels a guilt but he doesn't know why - perhaps that could be the reason or may be Kafka just wanted to tell us that the court officers are so lame and sexless that their women would sleep with any one.
Still the book is ranked as second best of all German novels of twentieth century and rightly so. Anyone who knows anything about legal proceedings should be able to understand the greatness of book. While you may know, unlike K., the reason for your arrest that doesn't help much.
Defects of Legal system
The corruption of the system is pointed out through the book - bribes, the advantages of having 'contacts'. Then the need for 'experiences' and lack of awareness of the way things go are felt by all those involved with law suits. The royal ways of the 'honourable' judges (the judges have a painter on-roll that would paint them) and indifferent ways of advocates are things you could in real lives. The powerlessness a person feels with the system is visible though out. Everybody K. meets is though powerless and he is never able to higher officers despite all his efforts. Whatever the places K. visit for his trial including the court are established in strangest and backwards places.
The secrecy of it all
There is a certain secrecy in the whole system (exaggerated when compared to real world but only slightly) K doesn't know what documents are submitted in his defense, but even those who have access to these documents would not had made much sense of it. There is also, another smaller allegory within this main story that brings out this vagueness of ways of the system.
Vulnerability towards lawyers
Because of our lack of awareness of legal proceedings, we are overly dependent on the experts - the advocates to point of vulnerability ('He was no longer a client, he was the lawyer’s dog.') that was my favorite chapter in the book and unfortunately that was the chapter left unfinished.
The trial is the prison?
The legal proceeding start interfering both with K.'s work and personal life. It becomes a burden which takes its heavy toll from other spheres of his life. That is another experience that those involved in law suits are aware of. The arrest at the beginning is perhaps the allegory for that. Although K. is see as free through out the book but the trial is all he can think about. In a certain sense he is prisoner already. His love life is ruined, his office performance is suffering and he can't shake himself free of the trial.
Spoiler
His helplessness of it all comes out in his last words, "Like a dog'Why so sexy?
For some reason there is a lot of sex in the story. Everywhere he goes in concern with trial, he finds some woman waiting to throw herself on him. A priest he meets later, thinks that it is not as good an idea. I can't make out much of that part, specially given that the book is otherwise is avoiding useless details.
In so many ways k. can be seen as character of low morale. He has no family around, no friends and is a womanizer. He is happy enough to offer women to Judges is he can and if could benefit from it. He feels a guilt but he doesn't know why - perhaps that could be the reason or may be Kafka just wanted to tell us that the court officers are so lame and sexless that their women would sleep with any one.