term paper outline

THESIS STATEMENT: Many people in society believe that in a time of need others will provide you with necessary aid in order to help in the predicament that one is situated in. However, in many instances in The Trial, Joseph K. is pressed by the government which causes him to be both alienated by society and stubborn to accept anyone’s help.

      I.         The Court

a.     The court represents a society where everyone is the same.

                                               i.     No one can be different and those that are, are forced to conform to the norm.

b.     “And you should talk less in general; almost everything you've said up to now could have been inferred from your behavior, even if you'd said only a few words, and it wasn't terribly favorable to you in any case.”

                                               i.     They are basically telling Joseph K. that no matter if he is telling the truth or being completely fictitious, the court will change it to make sure that it is turned against him.

                                             ii.     In other words, the court is always right and never messes up.

c.     “What has happened to me is merely a single case and as such of no particular consequence, since I don't take it very seriously, but it is typical of the proceedings being brought against many people. I speak for them, not for myself.”

                                               i.     K. thinks that the court oppresses many people and that he is not only defending himself but all of these people that the court system takes advantage of.

    II.         K.’s Defense By Huld and Himself

a.     K. is isolated and eventually is forced to defend himself.

                                               i.     He becomes to engulfed by the Trial and believes that only he will be able to defend himself.

                                             ii.     Unfortunately, this was not the best decision.

b.     "Don't go into shock at every word […] You should be ashamed here in front of my client! […] It's senseless anxiety!"

                                               i.     Although this was not to K. and to Block instead, it shows that Huld’s defense is pointless.

                                             ii.     Block is freaking out because he knows to much about the court.

                                            iii.     This should scare K. because he does not really know anything about the court

  III.         Personal Relationships

a.     He used to be all about buissiness, but because of the Trial he is forced to care about that more and more.

                                               i.     He even has a client taken away from him by his boss.

                                             ii.     Turns out that this boss even knows about the trial.

b.     “Didn't a painstaking defense simultaneously imply the necessity of cutting himself off as far as possible from everything else? Would he successfully survive that? “

                                               i.     The trial begins to take over every aspect of his life.

                                             ii.     Because it takes up so much time he has nothing else to focus on.

  IV.         The Unknown

a.     It is the unknown that places K. into isolation in the first place and ends up taking over his life.

                                               i.     Trial would have been much different had he known what he was being accused of.

                                             ii.     Because of the fact that he didn’t, he could not provide himself with a proper defense.

b.     Due to the fact that he doesn’t know, his world gets flipped upside down.