Kafka's Lack of Concern (takes a toll on me)

K's nonchalant, relaxed attitude is once again apparent when his Uncle comes to visit him. Worried and anxious as to what will happen, K's Uncle talks to him about it and gets a dry, untroubled reaction from his nephew. Why is K so relaxed?  It is all so sketchy. And in the midst of all these strange encounters and conversations, K is yet again approached by a woman who strongly desires him. It may be his superior, confident, and unflustered personality, or it could just be his looks, but this is the third woman that comes on to Joseph K. During this time, it was common for women of a lower class to approach men with money, and obviously this does not bother K. Nonetheless, he does not overthink these situations too much and just “goes with the flow.”

K’s lack of concern is starting to bother me. I do not understand why he is so calm all the time. It is not even that he is acting calm to keep his composure, it is that he simply does not care enough to stress himself over what he clearly should be stressing about. He is in trouble with the law; his family depends on him. I had not really thought about those factors until his Uncle came into the picture, and when K reacts with such a lack of worry towards the whole thing, it made me uneasy. He is being selfish and isn’t holding himself accountable for what is going on. K.’s superior and haughty characteristics are starting to piss me off and I want him to snap out of it before it is too late. Obviously I cannot control this, but it would be nice if he had some sort of urgency in him, maybe then he would get the whole thing resolved and he wouldn’t be in such a mess.

After reading all of Kafka’s short stories, I look at his writing differently and am more prepared to read bizarre, and random things in “The Trial.” Because I have established that he perplexes his readers on purpose, I now know that if I am confused at any point in the book, it is because Kafka wanted it this way. Nevertheless, Kafka is still able to spark a sense of anxiety in me through Joseph K., who does not seem to give a crap about what is happening in his life at the moment.