Response to Camille's post (8/24)

 I strongly agree with Camille’s post from last week about the cover of the book. The eleven eyes on the front cover definitely say a lot about the story, and this is shown from the beginning of the novel. The first few pages make it clear that Josef K. is very worried about what everyone thinks about him. He is concerned about the neighbors seeing him get arrested and does not want them to have a negative perception of him. Although K is a man of business and intelligence, he is extremely concerned about his appearance.

Out of the eleven blue eyes, there is one on the bottom that is yellow and immediate stuck out to me. The yellow eye is, as Camille said, probably a representation of an aberration in society. It is possible that it represents Joseph K as an intelligent, brilliant man in a world of ignorant people, where these characteristics are unusual. Although the eye sticks out due to its color, it also assimilates in the pattern of the eyes on the cover due to its shape and size. This could be a symbol for an individual’s struggle to step out of the norm and be viewed in a positive light.  The interpretation of the cover is yet to be completely explicable, since we are still towards the front end of the book. 

Chapter 2 Response

In my opinion, Chapter 2 was very unrealistic. Right from the beginning, K.'s case becomes very eerie and suspicious. When they tell him where he has to be but they don't tell him at what time, it makes it seem very unprofessional. Typically, a business man (which K. clearly is) would recognize this and take alternative measures to make sure the information he is getting is correct, especially since he still does not know the reason for his arrest. Moreover, it would be very weird for him to go to an apartment like complex instead of a stand alone court building where cases are typically tried.

However, even though it is not believable, I am still enjoying reading the book. The story line is fantastic, especially how they are showing a corrupt side of society. Government officials and police officers who are supposed to be leaders in society and enforce the law are corrupt and are all involved in framing K. 

Another part that really drew my attention was K.'s need to be in control. When he walked into the room for the interrogation, Kafka explicitly describes how K. needed to dominate the meeting. This can be related to the part in the first chapter where he thinks he knows everything, yet he is being completely blindsided.

Bureaucratic Limitations in K.'s Personal and Business Life

Camille Kelleher

9/8/13

Response to Vero's post

I agree with Vero about K.’s dual personality. He seems to be a competent and successful banker, as he has his own office and does a lot of business transactions of a nature that suggests a highly ranked position. Yet, he has led a lonely personal life that only has thrills when he goes to see Elsa late into the night. These two extremes seem to contradict each other when describing one person. 

However, as I learned in the past couple of pages, K.’s business life and personal life seem to connect on the theme of bureaucracy and ignorant leadership. As of right now, in K.’s social life he has to deal with the bottom ranked robots of the government bureaucracy whose only power is to specifically follow orders. In K.’s business life he is one of the top tiered officials who wields a wealthy amount of control over the bureaucratic company decisions, “…they had faded back into the larger realm of the bank’s bureaucracy without any noticeable change” (pg. 21.) K. had the power to individually question the motives of the clerks. He was able to accept their innocence until he saw the damage they did to Fraulein Burstner’s photos, “…whom I’ll have dismissed from the bank at the first opportunity…” (page 29.)

Just as K. is annoyed with his inefficient arrest in his personal life, the result of bureaucratic limitations, he causes the same chaos and unquestioned control in the bureaucracy of his bank. Through these means, Kafka has interconnected K.’s personal and business life while denouncing bureaucracy.

The Threat of Gossip

Camille Kelleher

9/8/13

A common trend in the last few pages is the threat of gossip. It seems as if people are guilty before proven innocent. This theme is applicable to both the society and court. K. has to be aware of his actions and surroundings at all times in order to remain innocent in the perspective of bystanders. His matters are never private, there is always somebody watching and judging him. Such is evident on page 27 when Fraulein Burstner returns from the theater and K needs to confront her, “…so that when he stepped out of the darkened room it would resemble an assault…” The routine discomfort and awareness of threats that people have to deal with throughout their lives protects them from an intrusion of privacy and accusations. If K. was aware, as he is at work, of people wanting to see him and do business with him in his personal life then he may never have had been arrested. 

When people are not aware of their surroundings, they become ignorant and are more susceptible to intrusions.  Fraulein Burstner’s personal property was invaded because she was unconscious to what was happening around her and her neighbors. Everyone else knew; including the three bank clerks and Frau Grubach and they did not warn K because they did not want to sacrifice their sense of security.

 It seems as if false gossip will spread when people are not aware that they are being accused. From this spread of gossip, people will change opinions of one another, learn from one another, and join sides of whether the actions were permissible or not. There was a study done a couple of years ago that researched the benefits and consequences of gossiping. The main human trend that it found supports the nature of the characters in the book. I am predicting that the whole boarding house may take sides on K.’s trial; but, as of right now I am waiting to read the grounds of his accusation.

Joseph K.'s Character Development

Throughout the first two chapters of the novel, K. is characterized as being an arrogant and irritable type of person. He's all business. This is expressed in his need to get out of the meeting in the morning between the inspector and the three other bank clerks.  At the end of Chapter 1, K. chastises himself for not paying detailed attention to what the three clerks were doing in Fraulein Burstner's room during their meeting, which leads him to meeting with them at the bank. This shows us how K. has gotten to where he is in life. He consistently wants the best out of himself, often shown through his persistence mentally and physically to be better.

K.'s irritability begins with the confrontation with the inspector and his underlings. He is angry and wants to get out of the situation as fast as possible, rather than as efficiently as possible. This is shown again in Chapter 2, when he yells at Frau Gubrach (his landlady) for hinting to K. that Burstner was out with other men that evening. Instead of thinking the moment through and relaxing, he acts impulsively and slams the door. 

These two chapters have been a good indicator of what we are going to get out of Kafka's work, and I am eager to see how the plot of the novel will unfold.

Josef K.'s Dual Character

The end of the first chapter, as well as the second chapter of “The Trial” is simply a continuation of what was expected to happen; Josef K. goes to work with three men appointed to him by the inspector. The same question remains, though. Why is he allowed to go about his regular routine if he is under arrest? In a way, K. reacts to the whole situation rather calmly, he lives a blissful, yet ignorant life and does not confront reality the way a man of his age should.

Josef’s journey to court exemplifies the kind of person he is. To begin with, he almost oversleeps after carelessly going out drinking the night before. There is a sharp contrast between the two sides of K.’s personality. On one side, he is an exceptionally smart, successful banker. On the other, he is a thoughtless, disorganized man who allows his money to get to his head and make him live a life in which he rejects reality. Joseph K.’s dual character slowly came to light as I read through these few pages.  

Response to Ben's 8/25

I agree with Ben in the sense that Joseph is a bit sneaky in his actions, and that he tries to find a way around what is going on. He seems to be living a luxurious life, and all of this is interrupted when he is arrested. Like Ben said, Kafka successfully intrigues the reader by ending the chapter in a way that will cause one to formulate questions and wonder what will happen next. Evidently, K. has entitlement issues and believes he is better, or “superior” as Ben stated, than others. Whether it be his financial status, or simply his upbringing, Joseph K. thinks he is above it all, and I am curious to find out what the root of his attitude is.

I never fully understood if K. knew the real reason for his arrest. After reading Ben’s response, I realized it was not just me who noticed that Kafka cleverly form questions in the reader’s minds, generating an itch to continue with the novel.

In response to what Ben said about the arrest with no explanation, I remember thinking similarly as I read through that part. Why would he not be allowed to know the reasons for his arrest? After some research I found out that citizens are to be told what the charges are when they are arrested. Something irregular is definitely going on and it is yet to be explained.