Confronting Guilt In Franz Kafka’s The Trial Essay

In Franz Kafka’s The Trial, Josef K. is guilty; his crime is that he does not accept his own humanity. This crime is not obvious throughout the novel, but rather becomes gradually and implicitly apparent to the reader. Again and again, despite his own doubts and various shortcomings, K. denies his guilt, which is, in essence, to deny his very humanity. It is for this crime that the Law seeks him, for if he would only accept the guilt inherent in being human (and, by so doing, his humanity itself), both he and the Law could move on. Ironically, this is in part both an existential and Christian interpretation of The Trial. The idea that to be human is to be guilty arises from both Christian and existential ideology. The Christian†¦show more content†¦Guilt is a similarly unavoidable part of being human within the existential perspective. Existential guilt results from the general awareness of a few basic concepts of existential ideology. These concepts include: 1 ) Humans have no existence outside their lives on earth, 2) death is inevitable, 3) life has no meaning unless one creates that meaning, 4) everyone is responsible for their own choices, and 5) honest choices are not always the best choices. It is therefore impossible not to have some guilt about making bad choices and thus not fulfilling all possibilities and potential in one’s life. This existentialist perspective is pertinent in reading The Trial because Kafka was a notorious adherent to existentialism. An existentialist would interpret the way in which K. insists upon his lack of guilt over and over again throughout The Trial as a persistent denial of his own humanity. Furthermore, since K.’s trial progresses because the Law sees the need to persecute denials of humanity, if K. had just accepted his humanity (by admitting his inherent guilt in being a human being), the trial would have ceased to exist. K.’s Uncle Karl is familiar with this aspect of the Law and so feels confident his lawyer-friend will defend K. well in his trial, saying, â€Å"it’s his human qualities I put my trust in† (96). Time and again, K. meets people connected with the court who perceive the true nature of his trial and so urge him, like Leni, not toShow MoreRelatedEssay Existentialism1050 Words   |  5 Pagesanguish is the underlying, all-pervasive, universal condition of human existence. Existentialism agrees with certain streams of thought in Judaism and Christianity which see human existence as fallen, and human life as lived in suffering and sin, guilt and anxiety. This dark picture of human life leads existentialists to reject ideas such as happiness, enlightenment optimism, a sense of well-being, since these can only reflect a superficial understanding of life, or a naive and foolish way ofRead Moreexistentialism Essay3317 Words   |  14 Pagessituation, in decisions which makes himself and sets himself to solves his problems and live in the world. Thrown into the world, the human being is con- demned to be free. The human being must take this freedom of being and the responsibility and guilt of his actions. Each action negates the other possible courses of action and their consequences; so the human being must be accountable without excuse. The human being must not slip away from his re- sponsibilities. The human being must take deci-