The Trial by Franz Kafka follows Josef K., a bank officer who is arrested out of nowhere in his hotel room and has to try to defend himself against charges that are unknown to him. When he gets arrested, he is not allowed to know why, so he must attempt to figure it out as the pressure rises around him. The Trial is focused on the idea of philosophy and how we can justify, rationalize, or understand what is happening around us.
The element of mystery and tension at the beginning of the novel is palpable and works really well. Josef K., after being labeled as “under arrest,” is still allowed to live his life normally, so he just pretends that this arrest never happened. However, as the story continues on, he realizes that he cannot just pretend. The story itself is very bleak but compelling, and the utilization of this trial is a perfect tool to explore the philosophical ideas of judgment and an interesting look into nihilism. As the story progresses, and Josef is being called into questioning for an unknown crime, you feel the anxiety coming from him and into you. Kafka uses suspense in an interesting way by having the reader know as little as the character into what it is they could have been arrested for. Without an answer to be found, you are faced with the decisions Josef had: to pursue it or ignore it.
The novel itself is not clear as to whether this is supposed to be a warning, a cautionary tale, or a prophecy for the future, and that makes the story more compelling. The closer the story seems to be to our reality, the more impactful the novel is. This novel is considered a classic, and it is obvious why when you start reading. The story itself is timeless and becomes more and more meaningful as you read. The Trial was originally published in 1914, but even over a hundred years later, the themes are still relevant. This fact makes the overall intention even more interesting, as the true purpose of the text is still a mystery.
Something that did stick out to me was how difficult the writing could be. The novel is a translated work, so it is possible my version of the translation was not up to par as other translations, but it was notable. It did not necessarily impact the experience, but was a little jarring when I first opened the book and read the first chapter. This was my first Kafka novel, however, and I think it is a very good introduction to his style of writing. Although his prose is a little difficult to follow, it quickly becomes easy to understand as you continue on. It became easier to absorb what it was he was trying to say, and once you got the hang of it, the style became a lot more impactful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in dipping their toes into classics, especially those who are mostly interested in the philosophical aspects of literature in general.
