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A review by benedettal
The Trial by Franz Kafka
3.5
Took me a second to review this because it’s not that I didn’t get it, I was just hoping it would slightly grow on me. I will preface by saying this is an excellent novel for what it is, and especially for the time it was written. It’s so so impressive and I need to stress that. But maybe that’s what made it overwhelming in the end. The enjoyment factor is lower because of it, hence the rating, but I’m not denying how great it is.
The Trial is a huge metaphor of everything and nothing. Kafka is famously cynical, and this seems to me like an outlet for him to express and release his frustrations about the (a) the justice system (if we stick to a surface level read), and (b) the pointless struggle between good and evil and of life in general.
The protagonist, K., is not privy to the crime he’s accused of, and crawls through a creepy dreamscape not necessarily actively trying to seek answers, more so constantly being made aware of other people’s connection to his trial. It’s like a horrible trip where things keep changing shapes and people suddenly know things about you that you don’t know or can’t recall. In that sense, the writing is very evocative and perfect at conveying the anxiety of it all.
But why? I feel like I still don’t know, but also to a certain extent don’t care enough. I don’t have my own theory. I get how this could totally be just about how justice is corrupt, sure. I don’t know enough about Kafka’s life to draw a connection to his experience which might shed light on potential recriminations he might have had against the system, but considering he lived in a non-democratic society, in a province of an empire, I’m sure his hostility might have been justified. Still, I think there’s a fine line between Orwellian cautionary tale and Kafkaesque nightmare fuel. Where Orwell is warning about what a dystopian future society might look like, indicting the judicial system in the process, Kafka seems to be aiming a bit higher.
I’ve read other people discuss the parabole of the priest, in one of the last chapters of the book. According to some it’s the key through which to read the entire novel, something about K. going in circles and not understanding how to enter the metaphysical door that separates good and evil. Others disagreed by saying that the point of the parabole is that it is pointless, everything about the narrative actually indicates that there’s nothing you can do when you’re just a pawn in the system. This read is backed by the episode of the fellow accused individual who is treated like a dog by the lawyer. The sooner you realise how pathetic it is to try to win against the house, the better. Has K. realised it by the end of the book? Maybe, maybe not. To me, this felt more like a metaphor for feeling lost and helpless in society. It’s about the uneasiness that comes with knowing that at any point the machine could suck you in, people could turn against you, your dear ones could lose respect for you, and a higher power could unceremoniously take away your life.
Maybe that’s the problem though, it’s too nihilistic for me. On a more meta level, I always wonder why Kafka wrote these strange novels with no intention of publishing them. I know I could just read one of the 194759295 biographies out there, but I’ll pass for now. Still, it does add a certain something to the story, that these extremely ambitious concepts could never have seen the light of day, if his will had been respected. I’m not a huge fan of the metamorphosis either, but I respect Kafka’s game. Would recommend.
The Trial is a huge metaphor of everything and nothing. Kafka is famously cynical, and this seems to me like an outlet for him to express and release his frustrations about the (a) the justice system (if we stick to a surface level read), and (b) the pointless struggle between good and evil and of life in general.
The protagonist, K., is not privy to the crime he’s accused of, and crawls through a creepy dreamscape not necessarily actively trying to seek answers, more so constantly being made aware of other people’s connection to his trial. It’s like a horrible trip where things keep changing shapes and people suddenly know things about you that you don’t know or can’t recall. In that sense, the writing is very evocative and perfect at conveying the anxiety of it all.
But why? I feel like I still don’t know, but also to a certain extent don’t care enough. I don’t have my own theory. I get how this could totally be just about how justice is corrupt, sure. I don’t know enough about Kafka’s life to draw a connection to his experience which might shed light on potential recriminations he might have had against the system, but considering he lived in a non-democratic society, in a province of an empire, I’m sure his hostility might have been justified. Still, I think there’s a fine line between Orwellian cautionary tale and Kafkaesque nightmare fuel. Where Orwell is warning about what a dystopian future society might look like, indicting the judicial system in the process, Kafka seems to be aiming a bit higher.
I’ve read other people discuss the parabole of the priest, in one of the last chapters of the book. According to some it’s the key through which to read the entire novel, something about K. going in circles and not understanding how to enter the metaphysical door that separates good and evil. Others disagreed by saying that the point of the parabole is that it is pointless, everything about the narrative actually indicates that there’s nothing you can do when you’re just a pawn in the system. This read is backed by the episode of the fellow accused individual who is treated like a dog by the lawyer. The sooner you realise how pathetic it is to try to win against the house, the better. Has K. realised it by the end of the book? Maybe, maybe not. To me, this felt more like a metaphor for feeling lost and helpless in society. It’s about the uneasiness that comes with knowing that at any point the machine could suck you in, people could turn against you, your dear ones could lose respect for you, and a higher power could unceremoniously take away your life.
Maybe that’s the problem though, it’s too nihilistic for me. On a more meta level, I always wonder why Kafka wrote these strange novels with no intention of publishing them. I know I could just read one of the 194759295 biographies out there, but I’ll pass for now. Still, it does add a certain something to the story, that these extremely ambitious concepts could never have seen the light of day, if his will had been respected. I’m not a huge fan of the metamorphosis either, but I respect Kafka’s game. Would recommend.