Response to "The Trial" by Franz Kafka (Pages 1-87)

The first couple chapters of “The Trial” describe the mysterious proceedings surrounding Joseph K.’s arrest. As contemporary readers, we are used to seeing those under arrest explicitly being told the reasons behind their arrest. However, when officials appear at Joseph K.'s home, he is given no details other than the fact that he is being arrested. Furthermore, he is instructed to appear at a court located inside of an apartment building without any details as to which floor or room the court is located. Once inside the courtroom, Joseph denounces the entire procedure surrounding his arrest and his greeted with applause from the “audience” in the courtroom. After his speech, it is revealed that everyone in the room is a magistrate and Joseph states that “it’s in the nature of this judicial system that one is condemned not only in innocence but also in ignorance” (Kafka 55).  The main issue with this entire series of events is that Joseph is left in the dark about the details of arrest: he is forced to try and defend himself against an unknown accusation. This relates to the circumstances surrounding interrogation that we have discussed in class, namely the fact that many interrogations were enforced against completely innocent people. Such interrogations, such as that shown in “O Judea” are used to display/justify power and dominance, and though the reason behind Joseph’s arrest is currently unknown, it can be inferred that it also for such a reason. Yet, what sets this situation apart from others we have discussed in class is the sheer mystery. “The Crucible” was set in the time of the Salem witch trials, and “Heresy” and “O Judea” were set during the Spanish/Portuguese Inquisition, but the arrest of Joseph seems to occur in a modern time where interrogations are not actively taking place. Most importantly, all the characters in the previous readings had an idea about why they are being arrested: Joseph has none.