In The Trial, Franz Kafka tells the story of Joseph K., a man persecuted by the law. The novel begins with K.'s arrest, which introduces him to a seemingly bizarre legal system. The arrest turns out to be unusual, because K. is never informed of what he is accused of and is not detained in prison. Over the following months, the case continues to reveal strange aspects of the bureaucracy that controls K.'s trial. For an entire year, K. is absorbed in the trial and strives to defend his case and obtain information about the justice system. Ultimately, the fight ends with his execution and most questions remain unanswered. This leaves one wondering what Kafka meant by “Trial” in a broader sense. One interpretation might suggest that Kafka is conveying a message about the meaning of life, insofar as one does not exist. K.'s actions and experiences during the trial illustrate that life has no meaning and that continually fighting against this idea and seeking a substantial goal is futile. Despite efforts to combat this conclusion, humans are all inevitably doomed to failure. As a result, Kafka uses the character of K. to illustrate how one should not live according to this view. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayA central aspect of The Trial is K.'s persistence and obsession with the case. From the beginning, K. goes through the trial with a combative attitude, trying to fight the law and obtain information. Upon his arrest, K. confidently questions those responsible about his accusations and continues to seek answers as the case progresses. By the time the first interrogation is scheduled, K. appears ready for battle. Before this event, K. decides that “the affair was beginning and that he had to fight it” (32). Upon arrival for interrogation, K. takes the liberty of giving a lengthy speech that essentially criticizes the legal system by referring to his experience as “a representative of a misguided policy directed against many other people” (42). However, before leaving the court, the investigating judge in charge of the meetings tells K. that he has removed the normal advantages that an accused could have benefited from. In this case, K.'s efforts to fight the system prove useless. After the interrogation, K. becomes more and more paranoid. Although he is not detained or required to attend regular court hearings, K. seems obsessed with fighting the law. Even during his work at the Bank, K. is distracted because “the thought of the affair no longer leaves [him]” (113). Proof of his paranoia, he goes so far as to project a declaration which would account for his entire life and serve in his defense. K. suggests feeling like his entire life is being tested, even though he hasn't been given any evidence to support such an idea. It becomes clear that he feels consumed by the case and trapped in the legal system. At one point, K. describes his recent habit of spending time by the window, looking out. Although seemingly insignificant, this may be symbolic of K.'s choice to remain "inside" the system while feeling oppressed, while he still has the ability to freely remain "outside." Although K. is obsessed with this case, no existing law prevents him from continuing his daily activities outside the imaginary confines of the trial. However, K spends time trying to defend himself and, despite this fixation, makes no progress. Perhaps Kafka wants to convey the idea that it is pointless to continually evaluate and reevaluate problematic aspects of life,because it's a waste of time. K. can serve as an example of how not to live in a situation where one's paranoia only led to a feeling of entrapment, but ultimately no progress. In the meantime, he misses out on life outside of his business. Another main aspect of the Trial is the particular bureaucracy that K. interacts with. For the most part, the legal frameworkthe forces that have power remain inaccessible. Officials, like the director at the time of K.'s arrest, talk about their superiors, but the identity of these people is never revealed. This faceless system makes it difficult for K. to obtain information that might be useful. Additionally, certain aspects of the legal system make advancement impossible. Another defendant, Block, tells K. that it is difficult to see progress in an ongoing case. In fact, the justice system shows that defendants have very little control over the outcome of their trial. Although he has not yet resigned himself to this conclusion, K. states at one point that "only cases predestined from the start to succeed have come to a good end, which they would have achieved in any case without your help , while all the others were doomed to failure despite all your maneuvers” (122). Therefore, despite all efforts, the fate of the trial is beyond his control. Logically, if it is impossible to control the matter within an inaccessible bureaucracy, all efforts to do so are wasted and the time could be better spent. Ultimately, Kafka develops a legal structure that renders K and the other defendants powerless. This system can be used to parallel the human inability to control many aspects of life, especially the end result. In addition to the inaccessible bureaucracy, K.'s interaction with the priest provides additional insight into the significance of the Trial. The priest, who serves at Court as a prison chaplain, tells K. the story of a man who spends his life waiting to be "admitted to the Law" (213). A doorman stands nearby, but does not allow the man to enter. The man waits at the door for the rest of his life, but is ultimately never admitted. Although he was never allowed in, the man is told that “the door was meant for you” (215). There is therefore no reason for him to be refused entry, which further highlights his lack of control over the situation. As the priest explains, it is important to understand that the man is at no time obliged to wait there. The man could simply go and live the rest of his life in the countryside, because he has no control over his inevitable failure and thus wastes valuable time. Likewise, K. willingly spends his life focusing on the law, but regardless of his efforts. have no effect on the final result. Before leaving the cathedral, K. does not understand why the priest seems indifferent to his actions. The priest then explains that he too is part of the tribunal and that the tribunal wants nothing from him. Referring to the court, he tells K. that it “receives you when you come and sends you back when you leave” (222). The legal system is not designed to demand his efforts and, for the most part, his actions are inconsequential. One possible message conveys that it doesn't matter what one does to try to change the outcome of life. Just as the court is not designed to allow human interference, all life ends the same way, and there is no need to "intervene" to try to change that. Suppose Kafka thinks life has no meaning. So, life is not designed to allow a search to find one. There is no need to spend a lot of time on it, because efforts will always end in failure, since there is no goal. During the year following his arrest, K. continued..