Thesis

Thesis: In The Trial, a phony bureaucracy under an unnamed society of men control and ultimately wear down K. into a completely different person. The idea that social creations like a fake bureaucracy are created to manipulate people ultimately can change who we are at our core existence.

I. Introduction, a tease of what I'm going to write about, and the thesis.
II. Introduce the man K. once was in the beginning of the novel, quoting specifics.
III. Introduce the man K. is at the end of the novel, quoting specifics.
IV. Examples of how the government today wears us down as a society in the real world, conclusion.

Essay Outline

           Thesis: 

In his novel The Trial, Franz Kafka criticizes societal institutions made by mankind’s destructive logic that ensure citizen confinement and lead to the inevitable failure of human values and beliefs. These institutions digress the citizens’ attention away from the chaos and uncertainty of life highlighted by the court system.

1. Superstitions and traditions- the reliance on lawyers, pursuit of success
2. Cathedral’s allegory- why we believe things that we don’t see
3. The different roles in society- (merchant, painter etc.) and how they reflect on the judicial system
4. The difference between K getting arrested and getting killed- his metamorphosis

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 anyones help.

I. First Interrogation

II. Journey to the courthouse

III. Situation with Huld

IV. The Unknown

Comment on Vero's essay

For some reason, my comment isn't going through so I just decided to post it.

Hey Vero!! I really like your focus on the Russian government in this novel. I think to make this essay really great, you might need to research a little bit about the Russian government since its a primary focus in your essay. Of course, this isn't a research paper but I think it would just bring this essay to the next level by demonstrating some outside-of-the-book awareness about the government. With  your topic, I think you can discuss Kafka's blend between farce and actual tragedy to reiterate the government corruption. Also, I think you can talk about the futility of citizen resistance against the government. For the seventh part you can mention a sense of metamorphosis. I'm kind of confused about the eighth part since that seems to be a theme with all of the bullet points but I'm sure its going to work. I really like your essay!!

Thesis and Outline

Thesis: Franz Kafka’s drive to highlight the corruption of government and lack of professionalism in Russian society is exceptionally portrayed through the characters and situations that occur in "The Trial." The implications of his belief system were cleverly interlaced in the novel to express his dissatisfaction in the unofficial, unethical customs of the modern Russian government. 

Outline: 

I.               Introduction: Thesis, brief summary

II.            K’s Arrest

III.          First court hearing

IV.         Importance of Innocence in the trial (Huld)

V.            Prolonging of the trial; importance of connections and conveniences (Titorelli, Leni, Huld)

VI.          Totalitarianism; power to the worthy

VII.        K’s Death; comparison between the guards who arrested him and killed him.

VIII.      Kafka’s analysis on Russian government during that time; indirect critique

IX.           Conclusion 

Themes for Term Paper

1) Opposed to what is perceived to be in a typical society, the government in The Trial seemed to have total control over what was occurring in society. They were able to control every aspect of K.'s life from his job, to church, to engulfing all of his time with this trial.

2) The three Kafka institutions, church, family, and state, set you up to fail. They interact with one another and have inherent contradictions. Throughout The Trial, K. has a difficult time choosing between these conflicting institutions and they ultimately cause his downfall.

3) In The Trial by Franz Kafka, we are able to see the alienation of one man, Joseph K. Throughout the novel, we learn of the different hardships that he is put in because of this alienation and it ultimately leads him to becoming a more independent person.

4) Another theme that is prevalent in the novel is that K. is very self-conscious. Because of this, he wants to try to be the best at everything and ends up over thinking a lot of things. This even leads him into firing his own lawyer.

Themes

1. The corruption of government and lack of professionalism in "The Trial" are very apparent and ongoing themes in the plot. Through many characters such as Titiorelli and Leni, Kafka was able to express his viewpoints on how unofficial and corrupt the government is, and how seemingly unimportant people can become such "respected" figures in society because of the connections they have.

2. Kafka's writing strategies regarding fantasy vs reality are exemplified throughout the entire novel. His existentialist perspectives are underlined through the strange, eerie situations that K. experiences. At some moments, it is very unclear whether or not what is happening is real and it all forms part of this "kafkaesque" style that the readers become so familiar with.

3. Kafka's perception on the pressures exerted by the state institution are very clearly portrayed throughout the novel. In fact, it seems as though the details of the trial were never revealed solely for this purpose; to highlight the way he feels the state institution impacts citizens in a negative way.

4. Kafka's critique on totalitarianism is also a reoccurring topic in "The Trial." The idea that the government controls society fully, and that the authorities involved are no more fit to be leaders than anyone else in the society is often implied.