The Trial. Franz Kafka
Much like “The Metamorphosis”, “The Trial” can be interpreted in a variety of ways. I’ll cover two: the one I can’t avoid and the one I find the most relatable. ⠀
1.
For sure, it’s about procedure replacing life, about neat squares and boxes, about isolation of layers of hierarchies, about bureaucratic necrophilia. About the process (“The Trial” in German is “Der Process”).
Some go even further and claim that Kafka had captured the spirit of a regime not so different from that of Hitler. But it’s anachronistic. Kafka was immensely talented and attentive but wasn’t a fortune-teller. His prose is exceptionally realistic. Totalitarian state wasn’t a part of his reality.
Tiny regular sacrifices of life’s energy due to social order were there instead.⠀
2.
Guilt that looms larger with every bit of attention invested in it. Rejection of any help, social and professional degradation. No one pushes mr. K’s case forward, but himself. The gentlemen from the court hold mr. K’s arms to the point they form a unified body with him, and they let him choose the way to his grave.
Such descriptions resemble depressive and anxiety disorders so much. And given Kafka’s biography and that you can find similar things in his other works, I doubt it’s a coincidence.
3.
So which interpretation is the right one? Any. All of them. Same as it is with “The Metamorphosis”, it is a meaningless question. What’s the right interpretation for a parking ticket crumpled in your hand?
