An Intangible Obsession- An Essay of Kafka's The Trial

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An Intangible Obsession

        Imagine being so preoccupied with something that it slowly starts to take over one’s daily routine. Now imagine that preoccupation becoming an infatuation, which then becomes an obsession. This series of events can lead any person to a mental lapse like K., the protagonist in Kafka’s The Trial. In The Trial, K. is forced to deal with a pending arrest throughout the entire novel. K. is now overwhelmed with a myriad of issues such as the infringement of human rights, the corruption of the court, and eventually his psychological collapse. In the beginning of K.’s journey, the motif of violation of human rights becomes apparent through K.’s loss of rights, as well as the warders. K. loses his right to be an individual and conforms into the court’s desired vision of him. He also endures the added pressure of contemplating whether or not the court is fraudulent. Eventually, the courts need for him to conform leads to his obsession with his upcoming trial. Ultimately it becomes too much for K. to handle, and the result is his defeat.

        Throughout the beginning of the novel, the reader becomes overwhelmed with the fact that K. is preoccupied with what he is getting charged for. In this day and age the Miranda Rights force the arresting officers to declare what the suspect is being arrested for. However in The Trial, K., the reader, and even the warders do not know what the accusation is. This is apparent when the warders conduct the original arrest by stating, “We are not authorized to tell you that. Go to your room and wait there. Proceedings have been instituted against you and you will be informed of everything in due course” (Kafka 3). K.’s human rights are violated in this situation because the warders intrude in his personal property, as well as his abode. This proves to be a violation of privacy as well as an intrusion of space. K. addresses this in his court hearing:

Some ten days ago I was arrested, in a manner that seems ridiculous even to myself, though that is immaterial at the moment. I was seized in bed before I could get up…The room next to mine was requisitioned by two coarse warders… These warders, moreover, were degenerate ruffians, they deafened my ears with their gabble, they tried to induce me to bribe them, they attempted to get my clothes and underclothes from me under dishonest pretexts, they asked me to give them money ostensibly to bring me some breakfast after they had brazenly eaten my own breakfast under my eyes. (Kafka 43)

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In the courtroom, K. wants to relive, and amplify the way the warders treated him. He strives to bring attention to the fallacies of how he was treated; however little does he know that these statements will backfire on him later.

        In The Trial, K. is not the only character to get mistreated, because the warders do also. This brings up the central irony of the plot. Because of K.’s statements, the warders encounter The Whipper, who in turn violates their rights. He violates their rights because he commits physical assault and battery for a punishment. This occurs because of ...

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