\'The Trial\' is a novel written by Franz Kafka, one of the most influential figures in 20th-century literature. Completed in 1914 but published posthumously in 1925, the novel is a surreal and existential exploration of bureaucracy, justice, and the absurdity of the human condition.The story revolves around Josef K., a seemingly ordinary and unremarkable man who is arrested by mysterious agents one morning for reasons unknown to him. Throughout the novel, Josef faces a bewildering and nightmarish legal system that operates with opaque rules and irrationality. The narrative unfolds as he tries to navigate the complexities of his trial while grappling with the enigmatic nature of the accusations against him.Kafka's \'The Trial\' is characterized by its dreamlike and symbolic elements, capturing a sense of alienation and the absurdity of modern existence. The novel delves into themes of powerlessness, the inscrutability of authority, and the futility of understanding an indifferent and often irrational world.Despite its incomplete nature and Kafka's ambiguity regarding the intended ending, \'The Trial\' remains a powerful and thought-provoking work. It has influenced literature, philosophy, and discussions on the human experience, inspiring countless interpretations and adaptations in various art forms.
caused a great deal of harm to his own case by his behaviour towards the office director, he was a very influential man but now he might as well be struck off the list of those who might do anything for K. If the trial is mentioned, even just in passing, it's quite obvious that he's ignoring it. These officials are in many ways just like children. Often, something quite harmlessalthough K.'s behaviour could unfortunately not be called harmlesswill leave them feeling so offended that they will even stop talking with good friends of theirs, they turn away when they see them and do everything they can to oppose them. But then, with no particular reason, surprisingly enough, some little joke that was only ever attempted because
id: 96a5c39f37483324c36e35bf780d5756 - page: 99
ll be reconciled. It's both difficult and hard at the same time to deal with them, and there's hardly any reason for it. It's sometimes quite astonishing that a single, average life is enough to encompass so much that it's at all possible ever to have any success in one's work here. On the other hand, there are also dark moments, such as everyone has, when you think you've achieved nothing at all, when it seems that the only trials to come to a good end are those that were determined to have a good end from the start and would do so without any help, while all the others are lost despite all the running to and fro, all the effort, all the little, apparent successes that gave such joy. Then you no longer feel very sure of anything and, if asked about a trial that was doing well by its own nature but which was turned for the worse because you assisted in it, would not even dare deny that. And even that is a kind of self-confiden
id: 48a0fa586cb67e3b1d4cf9f41f224675 - page: 100
s the only one that's left. Lawyers are especially vulnerable to fits of depression of that sortand they are no more than fits of depression of coursewhen a case is suddenly taken out of their hands after they've been conducting it satisfactorily for some time. That's probably the worst that can happen to a lawyer. It's not that the accused takes the case away from him, that hardly ever happens, once a defendant has taken on a certain lawyer he has to stay with him whatever happens. How could he ever carry on by himself after he's taken on help from a lawyer? No, that just doesn't happen, but what does sometimes happen is that the trial takes on a course where the lawyer may not go along with it. Client and trial are both simply taken away from the lawyer; and then even contact with the court officials won't help, however good they are, as they don't know anything themselves. The trial will have entered a stage where no more help can be given, where it's being processed
id: 7dbce59b41c92d78d42b5f61219577d7 - page: 100
You come home one day and find all the documents you've submitted, which you've worked hard to create and which you had the best hopes for, lying on the desk, they've been sent back as they can't be carried through to the next stage in the trial, they're just worthless scraps of paper. It doesn't mean that the case has been lost, not at all, or at least there is no decisive reason for supposing so, it's just that you don't know anything more about the case and won't be told anything of what's happening. Well, cases like that are the exceptions, I'm glad to say, and even if K.'s trial is one of them, it's still, for the time being, a long way
id: a97d9e1fafa655fd4a0bec9de4b57b6e - page: 100