Natalie's Outline

Thesis: The story of “The Law” mimics what occurs to K. in The Trial by Franz Kafka. The gatekeeper symbolizes K.’s arrestors and the low ranking court officials, the countryman symbolizes K, and the door, along with whatever is behind it, represents the law and K.’s trial.

The first bullet points are about the story of the Law and the indented bullet points are how they relate to K.’s trial.

PG 148-149 story of The Law

·      “You fool yourself in the court” said the priest “it talks about this self-deceit in the opening paragraphs of the law”

·      The door to the law is open but the countryman cannot go in anyways.

·      Gatekeeper is low in rank

o   Like all the judges K. meets. He never meets the bigger ones even though they are alluded to (the same as the gatekeeper alludes to larger ranking officials although he does not associate himself with them).

o   Page 75: “What rank is he?” “He is an examining judge” “Just an examining judge once again, said K. in disappointment, “the senior officials keep themselves hidden. But here he is sitting on a throne.”

o   Page 59: “It’s the organization that’s to blame, the high officials are the ones to blame.”

·      “… the law was supposed to be accessible for anyone at any time…”

o   No one knows the actual laws in K.’s society.

o   The higher officials are unknown

o   When the judge doesn’t let him see the book with laws.

o   The “law”/government seems open to everyone but its not because K. does not even know why he is being arrested.

·      Sits there waiting for days and years.

·      Tries to bribe the gatekeeper but doesn’t work. “Ill only accept this so that you don’t think theres anything you’ve failed to do.”

o   The only reason K. has some sort of hearing.

·      Over the first few years he curses his unhappy condition out loud, but later, as he becomes old, he just grumbles to himself.”

o   At first K. was loudly opposed, then he seems to have become consumed by the trial that he becomes less and less loud.

·      Fleas in the doorkeepers coat

o   The low ranking people he meets (the painter)

·      “Everyone wants access to the law, says the man, how come, over all these years, no-one but me has asked to be let in?”

o   How block and all the other people have basically accepted their fate.

·      “Nobody else could have got in this way, as this entrance was meant only for you. Now ill go and close it.”

·      The priest says it’s the doorman who has been cheated because he has been guarding something he doesn’t even know, blindly following orders.

o   Like the simple-minded individuals who arrest K. and lower ranking judges.

o   Not even they know what K. is being arrested for.  Similarly the gatekeeper does not know why he is guarding the door.