The Trial by Franz Kafka

"Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested."

The Trial by Franz Kafka reveals the true world we live in, hidden behind all the corruption and facades. It follows the story of Josef K. who is suddenly arrested by unidentified agents one morning without any sort of clarification on the crime that he supposedly committed. Then, he is put through a complex trial facing enigmatic lawyers, judges and other characters who offer little to no clarity to him on the subject. Even though he tries to clear his name, he finds himself deeply entangled in a web of absurd and corrupt bureaucracy. Mr.K represents our desire to deal with problems in a logical way but at the end of the day, we are just pushed into the insanity that is this world. This story is presented as an allegory representing society and its flaws as a whole. Here, we can see man's fight against totalitarianism and a corrupt administration. But upon further speculation, it occurred to me that this corrupt system might represent life in itself and how man is endlessly fighting against the forces of the universe on a daily basis to keep on living despite the tragedies and mysteries.

Some people say this book is a terrifying trip into a corrupt world that hooks the readers into the absurdity of it all. But in truth, it is not some trip. It is the reality that we see around us. In fact, this book despite its blurry and vague settings and incomprehensible procedures, sits closer to reality than many of the books out there. This book is frustrating. It leaves the readers in complete frustration as there is no definite explanation for it at the end of it all. But then it's because K doesn't know either. He is left just as confused as the reader. It clearly goes to show how some things will always be above our level of comprehension no matter how hard we try. And Kafka has executed this idea almost too well.

Comments

Master Your Mind: 5 Techniques To Improve Your Memory

In the vast landscape of our cognitive abilities, memory is a cornerstone, having immense influence over our academic, professional and personal endeavours. The key to having a sharper memory is not merely memorising everything, but rather enhancing our overall cognitive capability by training our minds using various memory techniques. Some of these techniques I practise (or try to practise) include: Mastering Visualization: Imagine a bright pink strawberry, glistening with water droplets. The vividness of this mental image is precisely the potency of our visualization power. This technique involves creating mental pictures that are not only clear but also strikingly memorable. When given the task of remembering items, try to create a sequence of mental images that are easy to recall which will be imprinted in your head. Mnemonic Devices: These devices turn seemingly complex information into easily digestible nuggets. Acronyms, rhymes and associations are included in these devices. For...

The Root Cause of my Obsession with Greek Mythology- 'The Song of Achilles'

When most people my age are asked about how they first came into contact with Greek mythology, their answers usually end up being Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson book series. But in my case, it's not that. And I don't necessarily mean this as a flex but what made me fall head over heels for the complex tapestry of Greek mythology is Madeline Miller's (absolutely brilliant writer, she is) 'The Song of Achilles.' And oh man oh man, the way that book is one of the most soul-crushing yet beautiful literary pieces to ever exist on this planet! It's the way you know that the story of Achilles, the famous Greek demi-god, is an absolute tragedy, yet Miller's story-writing skills make you pray to every form of divinity to not let it end so. And I think that's an elevated level of tragic experience to the readers in itself- to know how it ends, to know it's not actually rainbows and unicorns, yet (YET!!) to be forced to wish upon every dying star to save the...

"Feminism is a Joke"

"Feminism is a propaganda used to spread hate against men." "Feminism aims to bring highly reputable men down from their pedestal." "Feminism is a useless notion in today's society." "Feminism is a joke." You may say that women do not really need to fear men or fear you, or that it's not all men. Certainly not. But try telling that to Oksana Maker, Jyoti Singh Pandey, Elizabeth Pena, Jennifer Ertman, Junko Furuta, Anita Cobby and countless other women who have fallen victim to rape. Oh, wait.. you can't. Because they were raped and killed. You see, the concept of feminism may be a propaganda to you. A tool. A useless notion. A joke. But I remember my freedom and my happiness being cut short in my childhood (and even now for that matter in certain aspects) because my parents were afraid to send me out into a world filled with.. men. I remember feeling scared to my bones when I was alone in a narrow alleyway and a guy was approaching m...

Allow Ann to Babble, Please!

Search This Blog