Research Paper on:
'The Trial' by Franz Kafka

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
own Jewish heritage. This inner turmoil, as expressed in his continuously popular writings, promoted Kafka into a symbol of the anxiety and alienation that has pervaded much of 20th-century society"  (Anonymous Franz Kafka: Life and Times KLife.html). This statement, in and of itself, tells us a great deal about Kafka and the themes and other elements that can be found  in his work. His inner turmoil was extensive and powerful. For example, "Although his vain attempts to escape domination by his father, documented in Letter to His Father (1919), contributed  to his obsession with the theme of guilt and self-doubt and with figures of authority, his writing betrays a more fundamental metaphysical fear, uncertainty, and alienation" (Jones file13kafka.htm). Because  of these realities in Kafkas life we are presented with works wherein, "Each character is only an anguished voice, vainly questing for information and understanding of the world and for  a way to believe in his own identity and purpose" (Nervi works.htm). And, his novel "The Trial" is one which clearly examines these struggles and realities as one innocent man,  Joseph K., is accused of something he has no knowledge about. Because he is man who is uncertain, like Kafka, he "secretly suspects that he must have done something wrong  to deserve such cruel treatment from the authorities" (Ebert 914072.html). In a very short synopsis of the story we find "Josef is awakened one morning by his landlady, who  reports there are men to see him. She reveals by her manner that shes already found him guilty; anyone who draws unconventional visitors so early in the day is probably  unreliable in many other ways" (Ebert 914072.html). The police arrive to inform him, yet never really tell him what the charges are. "Josef spends the rest of the story trying