The Trial

*Note: Based on the Breon Mitchell translation. Includes spoilers.

This book felt like a David Lynch film. A vague premise, unclear consequences, and transient characters that exist only to move the strange, disjointed narrative forward. It is as if Kafka threw all he wanted to address at a wall and left it for the reader to figure out. For it really depends on the reader’s interpretation. The description on the back cover can’t even pin it down. “Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, The Trial has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers.”
Personally, I looked at it as a parable. A lesson for my own life. The trial, which the book revolves, pertains to Josef K.’s entire life. Only at the beginning, when the reader may be waiting until later for more important conversations, and is not fully paying attention, does the the landlady say, “It involves your happiness after all, and I really take that to heart, more than I should perhaps, since after all, I’m only your landlady.” (Frau Grubach – pg. 23) Nowhere else is this mentioned, nor is it ever revealed what Josef is actually on trial for. And so I arrived at the following conclusion: Josef is on trial because has led a life mapped out for him by societal norms and expectations, not for the sake of his own happiness.
At the young age of 30, Josef has excelled in the world of finance, but his professional life is far different from his real life. “At the bank, for instance, I’m always prepared, nothing like this could ever happen to me there; I have my own assistant, the office phone and my outside line stand before me on my desk, people are constantly coming in, clients and officers; but even more importantly, I’m always involved in my work, and so I have my wits about it; it would be a positive pleasure to confront a situation like this at my office.” ( Josef K. – Pg.23) How many of us are fully attentive and agile in our workplace, but unsure of what to do with ourselves outside of work? How many of us define our lives by our job title, and not by our own happiness? And just as our personal lives ignorantly continue while we toil away at work, Josef’s trial and its strange proceedings continue without impeding his regular work schedule. In fact, he initially dismisses the trial, making it clear that he values his professional status far more than his own personal affairs. And when he does concede to the trial, he likes to think his professional title, and the work he’s accomplished in the world of finance, can get him out of the mess. ‘“You’re a house painter?” “No,” said K., “I’m the chief financial officer of a large bank.” This reply was followed by such a heart laughter from the right-hand party below that K. had to join in.’ (Pg. 44)
When his uncle gets wind of the trial, he recommends that Josef enlist the help of an old lawyer who knows of such proceedings and can help. Josef follows this advice out of family loyalty. Which raises the question, how often do we take advice from family members simply because we believe we owe them something, only to realize later that they’ve gone and muddled things up further? What does Josef learn? Nothing. He is told he has to get as much help as possible, which is contradicted by the fact that no one can really help him. Just as in life, everyone has advice for what to do, and they’re glad to doll it out to anyone with willing to listen, but how often does it do any good? No one knows what will come for us at the end of life, but we all guess, even though all of our journey’s are perfectly unique. Those who are closer to death—like the lawyer—may appear wise, but they cannot speak to anyone’s existence except their own.
The artist does have some wisdom though, and points out the three ways the trial could go for Josef. He could win, which no record has been kept; he can be perceived to have won, which the artist could do for him through forgery, but it lasts only as long as no one takes a deeper look; or he could busy himself with little things at the low level to appear immersed in the trial, though such work will get him nowhere and ends only with death. Is this not life? Those who attain certain levels, those who no longer bother with the petty squabbles and gripes of the regular Joe cannot pass down their success to others, because, ultimately, no one path can be replicated. Self-help gurus and the like can give us all the tips they want, but there is no one plan for us all, and when death comes, we are at it alone. Alternatively, we can make it seem like we’ve attained success, put on airs, speak about it, maybe even possess the material things that a truly successful person might have, but such fraudulence can be uncovered with the slightest research. Or, and this is the most tempting of all, we can make it seem like we’re taking our lives seriously by filling our time with busy work. Creating to-do lists for ourselves that don’t ever get us anywhere, but make it seem like we’re making progress simply because we’re checking things off. These are the people who find things just to fill their time. Do they actually think about what they’re doing? Or are they simply avoiding looking at the bigger picture; their own happiness?
This is why Josef is standing trial for his life. And really, it is the judgement we all face at some time or another. Perhaps we do it for ourselves, perhaps others impose it upon us, or—as I feel is the case here—it is divine. The disorganized, filthy, rag-tag judicial system that arrests Josef is a representation of life’s judgement on itself. Josef, up until his 30th birthday, was of the thought that only the standard law applied, and that since he hadn’t broken any of those rules he was innocent. This is the case with most of us. And so we lead lives that do not follow the criminal path, and tend to place financial gain and titles as our path. This is all well and good in the material world, but what about in the realm of souls? It is this upper sphere that I believe Josef is being held on trial by.
The system itself blends bureaucracy and religion. For the most part, it is unknown, as is the case with the spiritual system, and yet it draws so many lower levels who accept its power, but cannot fathom what lies beyond their own simple understanding. And much like a complex bureaucracy, the layers of officers and procedures are enough to make anyone overwhelmed and not even attempt to move forward. The problem Josef faces is that he wants to move forward in the conventional sense, believing the system’s bureaucracy to be the same as that of his bank, thinking it does rely on forms and procedures. And yet, he doesn’t move forward. At first he resists the whole idea, and then, when he tries to be cooperative, the guard says, “you just can’t accept your situation…” (pg. 8)
Josef believes at first that he can do it all himself, but as time passes, and opinions pour in, he becomes increasingly dependent on the assistance of others. A key piece is his own petition that is meant to capture all of his life’s decisions, but he doesn’t do it because he doesn’t know where to start. He doesn’t think it will get him anywhere. He feels as though he will only act when there is a clear cut result for his efforts. The spiritual world, of course, requires a healthy dose of belief. It requires stepping out of the material world and into something greater. A world that does not use forms or procedures, and to think it does is to bring down calamity on one’s self, as is the case with Josef.
The priest’s story at the end about the man waiting his entire life to move forward, but cannot because of the doormaster who says he cannot is Josef. The door was meant for him and him alone, as is the case with all of our lives, we are all made for something, and because we each have our own unique path, each with its own unique door, we cannot rely on anyone else to know the way or to grant us permission. We must go about our own journey on our own. Others many be able to offer advice that we can use here or there, but we are the only ones who can act. For Josef, as far as I can tell, his life was not meant to be spent as the chief financial officer of a bank, he was destined for something else. But the bank offered clear rules of ascension via the titles they bestow, and direct competition for those titles. It is a hierarchy. But this trial, this thing Josef is thrown into, is not a hierarchy, it is disguised as one, yes, but at the end, it is only Josef. As is the case with all of us.
We believe we need permission to do anything, including living an authentic life. We do things or buy things that make it appear like we’re living authentically, like we’re true to ourselves, but no cars or clothing or job title can shield us from our soul’s evolution. For the opinion of mere mortals means nothing in the kingdom of heaven. This requires taking control of our lives. Josef, unfortunately, cannot do this. He operates only with the power afforded him by the bank. As for his own life, he cannot seem to make it work. This is why, even at the end, when he knows he can finally take control and kill himself, he does not do it. His life was created, and ended, according to others.