The Trial Essay Research Paper THE TRIALby — страница 5

with Titorelli and Wolfart’s help finds it. It is, of course, a totally negligible office, existing only to rubber stamp anything the higher ups want done. Titorelli and K. have become close, since K. is always bothering and consulting him about his case. Meanwhile K. is being worn out by his case, sometimes having nightmares about Frau Grubach’s other lodgers all pointing the finger at him and accusing him, and then him wandering around the offices meeting truly bizarre figures. Or perhaps he dreams about Titorelli, that they were sitting in front of a fire, K. begging him for something and Titorelli granting it, or them running around the law offices. Conflict with the Assistant Manager K. and the Assistant Manager aren’t getting along very well, since K. sees him as an

usurper, just waiting to get K. fired and taking his place. The Assistant Manager must see that K. won’t go down without a fight, that he’s still alive and well. The Assistant Manager comes into Joseph’s office one day so Joseph can pitch his proposal for something, and the whole time the Assistant Manager is playing with a part of his desk with his penknife. He gets up and sits on it to fix it, breaking it instead. A Fragment (what an inventive title!) Joseph and his uncle come out of a theater into the pouring rain, and Joseph tries to think of some way to get him to go home so he won’t have to put him up for the night. He says that his uncle has been helpful, thanks, I have all the help I need, you can go home tomorrow, or tonight even. Characters (in order of

appearance) Joseph K. (Josef K.) Our hero, he is awakened one morning and arrested for something, which he is never told. Over the course of a year, from his 30th to 31st birthdays, he tries to figure out why he is being accused and tries to fight the Court, but finally seems to just surrender to its power. Anna The maid who was supposed to bring Joseph his breakfast, which was eaten by Willem. Franz The warder who bursts into K.’s room and tells him he’s under arrest. He wants to get married, and is beaten up by the Whipper. Willem The other warder who arrests K, he also is whipped despite his protests that he has a family to feed. The Old Woman and Man Live across the street, seem almost morbidly interested in looking at K while he is in his apartment the morning of his

arrest. The Inspector Comes to the apartment to arrest K. K. tries to get out of him what all this is about, but to little avail. Hasterer A prosecuting counsel. K. wants to call him as soon as he is arrested. In the fragment “Prosecuting Counsel” K is a very close friend of his, and they frequently go to his house, where he lives with a woman called Helene for a little while. Frau Grubach K’s landlady, the owner of the building that K., Fr?ulein B?rstner, Fr?ulein Montag, and others live in. She is very fond of K. and tries her best to make him happy, even if she does think he’s guilty. Rabensteiner A fellow worker at the Bank, he goes to K.’s apartment when he is arrested. Lazy. Kaminer Another worker at the Bank who is at K.’s place when he is arrested. Repulsively

modest. Kullich (Kullych) Yet another worker at the Bank who turns up at K.’s. Stupid. K. wants to slap his pasty white cheeks. K. hates all three of these low-level drudges. Fr?ulein B?rstner The girl living in the apartment next to K.’s, she is a typist. He and she have a strange encounter the evening after he is arrested. He kisses her like an animal and she apparently feels threatened, since she has Fr?ulein Montag move in with her. She turns up again at the very end, when K. is being led to his death he sees her walking ahead of him for a little while before disappearing. Captain Lanz Frau Grubach’s nephew, who sleeps in the living room the night K. is arrested and interrupts K. and Fr?ulein B?rstner by making noises. Later, he and Fr?ulein Montag talk in the hall

while K. is inspecting Fr?ulein B?rstner?s room, apparently about him. The Examining Magistrate One of the more mysterious characters in the book, he is frequently referred to in hushed tones but what we see of him is not very impressive. He questions K. and gets a defiant speech in return. In his spare time he reads porn books and chases the usher’s wife. The Usher’s Wife (Hilda in the movie) She lets K. into the courtroom both times, and the first time interrupts his speech by being hauled off by the student Bertold, the second she tries to seduce him by saying he can do anything he wants with her and take her anywhere he wants. This reverie is interrupted by Bertold. Bertold The short, bandy-legged law student who chases the usher’s wife around, much to the usher’s