Had I been someone who just started reading books, I would not have been so worried about failing to understand this one. However, after having read over 300 books, being unable to comprehend The Trial by Franz Kafka is shocking to me. Since the very beginning of my reading journey, I have been very open about popular literary classics that failed to inspire me. The Trial is now an addition to that list—books I believe have been made popular for no reason.
What is Strange About ‘The Trial’?
There are two unusual things about The Trial: the story itself and the author’s writing style.
- The Story: The plot revolves around Joseph K., a 30-year-old man who wakes up one morning to discover he must undergo a trial. What that trial is about or what he has done is never revealed. Instead, he simply appears before a mysterious court multiple times and is executed at the end of a year.
- The Court: The court is a unique institution in the novel. It is not an ordinary court; its members are unknown, its proceedings are private, and the way it reaches judgments is never made clear.
Who is Joseph K?
Joseph K. is the primary sufferer in The Trial. He is a reputable banker and a respected member of society. However, his life takes a strange turn one unfortunate morning when he learns he must undergo a trial. He endures an exhausting year-long process before a mysterious court, eventually being executed. Throughout the novel, he suffers from fear, shame, trauma, and helplessness—a victim of a powerful bureaucracy denied the right to representation.
What’s Wrong with the Writing Style?
Putting the plot aside, the thing that frustrated me most was Franz Kafka’s writing style. You will find long, unending paragraphs spanning three to four pages without a single break. Much of your focus remains on not losing your place rather than on the story itself.
The English language is typically structured with breaks because it is the most logical way to produce literature. A reader deserves the pauses and spaces that good literature provides, but Kafka does not seem interested in any of that. Furthermore, characters appear and disappear without clear purpose, linkage, or connection. Keeping the story together is a constant challenge, leaving the reader concerned that they are simply not focused enough to understand the narrative.
Is the Confusion Purposeful?
Many “BookTubers” and book bloggers claim that the confusing nature of The Trial is intentional. They argue that Kafka’s style aims to keep the reader feeling as irritated and helpless as Joseph K.
I don’t buy that logic. Hundreds of thousands of beautiful stories have been communicated in the simplest ways possible. Instead of irritating the reader with unrealistically lengthy paragraphs, a better choice of vocabulary could have achieved the same effect. Writing endless paragraphs without a break is something any writer on earth can do; I don’t see why Franz Kafka should be uniquely appreciated for it.
What was Joseph K’s Crime?
If you are searching for what crime Joseph K. committed, you don’t need to search any further: the book does not answer that question. This is one of the mysteries of The Trial that disappeared with the death of the author. Until the moment Joseph K. is executed, the story never reveals his supposed crime.
Is ‘The Trial’ Overrated?
I believe so. The Trial may be famous or a bestseller, but it is definitely not worth the hype. In my opinion, it falls into the category of unnecessarily popular books. If you are interested in reading deep, meaningful literature, I would instead recommend “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda. That is a book that creates clarity about life, unlike The Trial, which lacks clarity itself.