CH. 7 and 8

Yet another blog for “The Trial,” and I still do not know what else to write about Joseph K. besides that his personality just irritates me, and that Kafka’s writing confuses me.  However, I saw something that once again demonstrated the weakness of the government. Through Block’s actions we see the way the system is not as strong and correct as it makes itself out to be. Block knows what is happening regarding K’s trial, and he is an informant of the court. Once again we are presented with the idea that the systems are not so professional, and there is a conflict in the legitimacy of it.

            K is still stuck between defending himself, or sticking with Huld, until he appears at his house in hopes of letting Huld go. But before this, Huld was useless and this frustrated K. His lawyer is a very contradictory character; he acts as if he knows so much and has connections, but then shows a side of him that tells us he does not want K to release him as his lawyer. His attitude makes it seem like he has everything together, and like he will do a good job of defending K, but on the contrary he works slowly and gets basically nothing done. K is better off just defending himself at this point, because nothing is getting done and time is passing. It is just now that K. realizes how important this trial is, and that it dictates his future. Finally he got some sense knocked into him and he actually cares about what will happen.

         Chapter 8 reveals to us that Block lives at Huld’s house, at his disposition, because Huld only sees him when he feels like it. Block apparently knows a lot about K’s trial, just like every other character we have encountered in the novel. Once again there is a clear representation of a weak, unprofessional judicial system in which rumors travel quickly and everybody knows everybody’s business. Block is, in a way, a potential futuristic version of Joseph K., and this is scary for the readers and the protagonist. Block has five other lawyers working for him behind Huld’s back, which also demonstrates how pathetic and desperate this man is for his own case. Block is characterized as a lost cause, which instills a sort of distress in the readers’ minds that this is what K.’s life can come to at one point.