Ryan Possible Topics

Topic #1

            Throughout The Trial, Kafka makes it a point to establish the omnipresence of the government in the society. The ubiquitous nature of the court system, and government in general, gives off an atmosphere of corruption and oppression. The story barely goes more than a chapter without a representative of the government showing unexpectedly. K. describes the government presence in a way that implies a type of habituation, in which K. is not surprised to see court officials and judges sitting in corners of room. Kafka implies that even when a citizen is not involved in a trial, the government still has a questionable presence in society.

Topic #2

            Josef K. has a superiority complex that is clearly seen in the novel and affects his decisions about his trial and his interactions with other characters. K. takes social status rather seriously, and once he deems someone as being below him, his actions immediately reflect that. K. frequently talks down to people and is usually cynical about people’s motives in the novel. K. believes he can do everything himself, which serves as an advantage and fault. K.’s superiority complex is broken down by the trial as he eventually accepts his fate.

Topic #3

The role that Kafka gives to the women of The Trial is particularly interesting. The women of the novel seem to be K.’s weak spot, in regards to distracting him from the matter at hand. K. develops sexual relationships with most of the women in the novel rather quickly. It seems as though whenever K. meets a woman he is immediately captivated by her presence and forgets what he is doing. Although K.’s affections are all over the place, he feels as if all of the women belong to him and he becomes defensive and concerned when another man enters the picture. Kafka gives women an overall low position in this society as a large portion of the women seem to be in place to serve the men of the novel.

Topic #4

            Josef K. seems to lack free will in the novel, he rarely makes his own decisions and lets the government and the people around him tell him what to do. K.’s absence of internal locus of control might represent Kafka’s own existential crisis. Much of the novel is left up to fate and K. seems to simply accept his destiny, especially at the end of the novel. K.’s passive behavior is also seen in some of Kafka’s other characters, such as the country doctor. K. struggles to get things done as he lives in a society in which the government seems to predetermine everyone’s lives, most clearly seen in the fact that K. is randomly arrested one morning and never told what he is accused of.