The Trial by Franz Kafka, an incomplete novel chalked full of questions and confusion – leading readers to ask questions such as “why does the court function how it does?” and “what the heck is K. being arrested for again?” Although Kafka predicates the novel on these two ideas, the court and Josef K., never do readers explicitly gain a comprehensive or satisfactory understanding of the pair. In light of the fact that The Trial is an incomplete novel, Kafka intentionally leaves the function of the court and K.’s true character up for question. Kafka accomplishes this by never giving a true name to either the court or Josef K., keeping the upper levels of the court a secret, and in Josef K.’s transition from successful banker to complete obsession with the court. Luckily, Kafka offers a trail of breadcrumbs that enables his readers to begin answering some of the questions presented in this book. This essay illuminates these “breadcrumb” moments scattered throughout the novel to reveal the true relationship between the court and its subjects. Furthermore, this essay asserts that the court was in fact correct in its conviction of Josef K. as evidenced in the last chapter of this novel. In this novel, Kafka writes about a court system unlike anything seen today. Although Kafka never gives an explicit description of the court, readers can gain a firm understanding of how the court functions via proper close reading and synthesis of the novels many parts. One of the first pieces
In the metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, there are significant actions and transformations which make the story sad, and strange with a happy ending. Explanations that are dramatic events that intensify the excitement of all these actions. Reality and reflection play an important role in this story because the events that happened could be applied and assimilated with modern society.
On the surface, “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka is an evocative story of a man transformed into a “monstrous vermin”. It seems to focus on the dark transformation of the story’s protagonist, Gregor, but there is an equal and opposing transformation that happens within Gregor’s family. Although Gregor has physically changed at the beginning of the story, he remains relatively unchanged as the novella progresses. The family, on the other hand, is forced to drastically change how they support themselves. Although the change was unexpected, Gregor’s transformation into a vermin sets into motion a change in the Samsa family that leaves them better off in almost every facet of their lives. Thus, Kafka’s story is not one of descent into darkness, but one of a family’s ascent towards self-actualization. The metamorphosis the title speaks of does not take place in Gregor, but rather in the Samsa Family; consequently, Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” is not a tale of darkness, disconnection and despair, but rather a story of hope, new beginnings and perseverance.
This article by Walter H. Sokel claims that the metamorphosis Gregor goes through gives him the chance to be rebellious. Sokel highlights that after Gregor is changed into a cockroach he also changes mentally, which affects his actions.
Many important topics and integral information that is an essential part in the criminal justice system have been introduced in the play “12 Angry Men”. Some examples of this would be crime and justice including the laws, criminal behavior, victimization, and the criminal justice system in itself. These issues are everyday situations but many people have been oblivious to the problem. The twelve jurors have an assignment where they will have to decide whether or not the young man on trial is guilty of murdering his father or is innocent beyond a reasonable doubt. All twelve men are frustrated and lack patience which lead them to be contumacious and unfocused. Their distraction led to many key facts getting misemployed and emotions start to cross making it hard for the jurors to construct a resolution. They have been oblivious to the effect that it would have on the community itself. On the information given up to this point this process essay will articulate the unenlightenment and egomaniacal principles of the twelve men in the short story and movie "Twelve Angry Men" written by Reginald Rose and directed by Sidney Lumet. Both Lumet and Rose showed their point of views of the criminal justice system in the play and the movie. Although the director's view on the justice system demonstrated the rights that everyone had, it also revealed his thoughts on how the justice system is corrupt, ineffective and unjust because all these aspects have shown the major differences in the morality of the twelve individuals and the problem at hand in the movie and play “12 Angry Men”.
In his novel The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka describes his own life through the life of his protagonist Gregor Samsa. Careful study of Franz Kafka's life shows that Kafka's family, workplace, and reaction to the adversity in his family and workplace are just like those of Gregor. So we might ask why Gregor was transformed into a bug since Kafka obviously never turned into a bug. The absurd image illustrates how Gregor lacks self-respect and feels like he's a bug in the eyes of his family and society. Franz Kafka was unhappy and never found his place in life, either. Therefore, he might have felt just like Gregor, like a bug. Furthermore the novel describes Kafka's expectations of his own future and he was partially
The ways in which truths are presented to external audiences concerning outside characters display not only a good judgment of character on the presenter, but furthermore, the often insignificant nature of whom the presenter is talking about, even if the insignificance presented is accidental. Both Peter Shaffer’s Equus and Albert Camus’ The Stranger approach different ways in presenting the truths of Alan Strang and Meursault to the audience/jury, but one thing remains clear; intentional or unintentional manipulation of these characters leads to the eternal distrust of the reliability of their presenters, Martin Dysart and the members of the law.
The United States of America, is well known for its many aspects. Perhaps for the ways its governed, its power, and most importantly its laws. The Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights are the most important documents (respectively) and the laws that America follows. No other country in the world is like America, those three unique documents are what sets America apart from any other. In the novel The Trial, by Franz Kafka, it shows how important those three documents are for an individual, and in this case how important they can be in a trial. This novel is based around Josef K. who is accused of something and is eventually sent to trial, the best document to show how important law’s can be, based on this novel is the Bill of Rights. If one applies the Bill of Rights to this novel, we could see how important and fair they are to an individual.
In The Trial by Franz Kafka, the protagonist K. is going through what is often thought of as one of the most dehumanizing aspects of society. Even in the United States many criticize the justice system for being dehumanizing. People are forced to wear the same thing, act the same way, and are given numbers instead of names. In The Trial Kafka emphasizes the dehumanizing aspects of this process by exacerbating the bureaucratic steps that must be accomplished and adds more uncertainty and secrecy to the steps. Kafka’s writing shows the lack of information that K. is given, and the symbolic dehumanization that occurs during the whipping and with K. lacking a last name.
A tidbit of history has been included to provide a background for Kafka. His upbringing is not considered normal. In 1883, he is born in Prague, Czechoslovakia to a successful Jewish couple. This combination dictated that he is neither Czech nor German, so his father sought to better the family’s name through Franz by insisting his schooling and social life be centered around the German-speaking elite of the provincial city. Throughout his childhood, he had a history of ailments that contributed to his propensity to dwell on intellectual studies instead of outdoor activities. He received a doctorate in law from the German University in Prague in 1906 per his father’s wishes. After graduating, he accepted a position as a legal clerk for a short period and found it lacking. In 1908, he left that position and started his career with a semi-governmental insurance company that probably saved his life as he is exempted from the mobilization during Hitler’s regime. This
In Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” Gregor Samsa deals with the alienation from his family stemming from both absurd and mundane circumstances. While Gregor’s transformation into a bug is the catalyst to his physical alienation, Gregor had for years been becoming more and more isolated mentally and emotionally from his family due to his displeasure at his having to work a job he hated due to his father’s failings and the lack of gratitude he received from his family for his hard work. It was not just his family who Gregor was becoming isolated from, but it was humanity in general that Gregor had been drifting apart from, as he had not mentioned having any friends or work colleagues which leads the readers to believe he had no social life
The opening establishes and embodies the world of the justice system, “the man’s world”, accompanied by its seriousness, organisation and harshness in its outlook on reality, the depiction of a typical arrest, identification and trial of a convicted criminal. However, this “world”, according to Wood is threatened, stating that it is somewhat disrupted by the protagonist’s “frivolousness, selfishness, and triviality” (272).
The parable, Before the Law, by Franz Kafka depicts a story of a countryman who persistently tries to enter passed a door to seek the law. Consequently, he faces the obstacle of gaining admittance by the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper mentions that following his door there are multiple other doors which are much more difficult to pass with tougher gatekeepers. The countryman tries to bribe the gatekeeper and ends up spending his life sitting outside the door and never gains admittance. Unfortunately before he dies, the gatekeeper mentions that the door was only intended for the man to enter.
The courtroom portrays Meursalt as an appalling man for enjoying himself the day after his mother’s funeral. The broad statement said by the prosecutor shows that society does not allow one to have any entertaining moments after a time of repentance because it is thought to be disrespectful. A quick rebuttal by Meursalt’s lawyer helps realign the trial so that it is actually focusing on why they are having the trial in the first place by saying, ““Come now, is my client on trial for burying his mother or for killing a man?” The spectators laughed.” (96). The trial never focuses on why Meursalt killed the Arab man and no one ever bothers to make any real efforts to discover his motives. This reveals that the courtroom is more interested in the type of person Meursalt is and how he can be a danger to society than the death of the Arab. The courtroom judges Meursalt as a heartless man with the only intention of killing a man because he felt like it, yet neither ever proves the killing of the Arab, not even in their closing speeches.
as he attempts to maneuver the bureaucratic system. In vain, much as many people try to find meaning and justice out of court, Josef K.'s efforts to discover why he is accused and must suffer are in vain. Yet, his character and his sins are conventional, and he has no bold or threatening ambitions. All he can do is ask questions, but he receives no answers that would clarify the bureaucratic system into which he has been thrust. Just like existential awareness undermines the entire rational structure of Divine justice, so, too, the alternative hypotheses, the multiple explanations, the different interpretations, and the uncertainty Josef K. experiences, serve to undermine the whole rational structure of the justice system. Josef K. comes to understand the socially constructed, arbitrary, and absurd nature of the justice system, and, justice itself "The truth allegedly resides above the realms of justice and injustice."iii This literary analysis will focus on how Josef K.'s experiences in The Trial demonstrate not only the corrupt justice system of the era but also the absurd and futile attempt to seek an arbitrary concept like justice in an existential realm.
In this play there are many incidents which show how police officers and the judges help each other in their fallacious activity. This incident portrays how the police officers use their authority to manipulate the people and cause corruption in the society.