While the plot itself is rather slow – as K. As such, fans of fiction which presents a disturbingly realistic alternative world ruled by oppression would enjoy The Trial. There are striking parallels to Orwell's 1984 where the protagonist is observed constantly and people are punished by the totalitarian state for actions which seem harmless, such as 'thought-crime'.

The Trial is deeply thought-provoking in its uncomfortable presentation of a world where people are observed by secret police and suddenly arrested, reflecting the social turmoil in Europe around the time Kafka wrote it in 1914. has contributed to his own destruction by his compliance with the officials. However, his resolve is beaten down by the inevitability of prosecution, and only at the nightmarish end (which I do not want to ruin by describing) does the reader truly understand the extent to which K. fights back, taking over his hearing to implore the court that the proceedings are unjust.

Yet I felt that this only made the story more chilling, as he seems to have a few imperfections like every human, but these in themselves do not warrant his arrest. himself is not a particularly sympathetic character, as he is unnecessarily rude to his landlady, Mrs Grubach, and takes advantage of his neighbour Miss Burstner in the opening chapters. by a Priest who gives him many possible interpretations, each of which I had to read a number of times to fully understand. For example, the story of a doorkeeper who prevents a man entering the realm of 'the law', is explained to K. It is, therefore, not a particularly heart-warming read, and requires plenty of close attention to understand the intricate concepts – though the language is thankfully relatively direct and simple. Thus Kafka presents a bleak world where a once respectable bank clerk is suddenly prosecuted for apparently no reason at all, and does not even have the benefit of an effective lawyer to represent him.

and so cannot judge whether the appropriate ending would be conviction or acquittal.Ībsolute acquittal is soon discovered to be an impossible dream, as is the possibility of a fair trial which is not influenced entirely by court politics and inter-relationships. may have committed, adding to the reader's confusion as they are given as little information as K. maintains adamantly that he is innocent, at no point is there a hint given of the crime K. Kafka opens with these disconcerting words, setting the tone for the rest of the novel, as what follows is a deeply disturbing account of a man placed at the mercy of (until then unknown) law courts.

Kafka books the trial