The Trial Essay Research Paper THE TRIALby — страница 6

disgust. The Usher Meets up with K. in the law offices after his wife is hauled off by Bertold, tries to convince K. to go after him. Leads K. around the offices, where he meets a truly disturbing group of people waiting for word on their cases. The Man and the Young Woman Help K. after he is overcome by emotion and bad air in the law offices; haul him to the door. Fr?ulein Montag Fr?ulein B?rstner’s friend, a somewhat sickly looking teacher of French. She moves in with her after the experience with K. Refuses to say much to K. or discuss the circumstances of her move. The Whipper Has the job of whipping Franz and Willem, who scream bloody murder?and in K.’s bank, no less! K. tries to buy him off but to no avail. The Assistant Manager Works at the Bank and directly below K.,

who sees him as his rival. K. frequently obsesses about him. Uncle Karl (or Albert) Lives out in the country, comes to see K. about his case and takes him to see Dr. Huld, an old school friend of his. Talks with Huld about K., later berates K for fooling around with Leni. Erna K.’s 17-year-old cousin, who is at boarding school in the same city as K and writes her dad Uncle Karl about K’s case. Dr. Huld the Advocate K.’s lawyer, who seems to know his way around the Court. Promises to help K., but everything is always being delayed so that nothing concrete ever happens. K. later comes back to fire him, only to be given the routine with Block as an example of how grateful he should be for his help. The Chief Clerk He has just been talking to Huld when Uncle Karl and K. arrive,

so he hides himself. Later he introduces himself and talks about Joseph’s case with Huld and K.’s uncle. Leni The whore! Dr. Huld’s nurse and also mistress, a position she also holds with several other of his clients. Claims she wants to help K. and tells him to basically surrender to the Court. She is eager to show K her physical defect, a webbed hand, which apparently turns Joseph on, so that he kisses it and ends up on the floor with her. Later on she gives him a key so he can come back whenever he wants. Coming back another time, he sees that she has somebody else too, Block. Participates in the ridiculous playacting scene between Block and Huld. Elsa K.’s girlfriend at the start of the novel, she is a waitress at a cabaret. He goes to see her once a week. One time he

goes to see her instead of to court, which annoys the Court. Leni doesn’t like the way she looks in her picture. Manufacturer Comes to see K. at the bank and tells him about Titorelli the painter, giving him a letter of recommendation for him to give to Titorelli. Titorelli The painter. From painting the judges he knows the Court inside and out but can’t necessarily help K. He explains the way it operates and then tries to sell K. some of his nature scenes. Has his very own harem of groupies around his place, which gets on his nerves at times. In the fragment “The House” he and K. see each other a lot, trying to get somewhere with his case. The girls The chiquitas who congregate around Titorelli’s apartment, harassing him and everyone who comes around. They belong to

the Court, says Titorelli grimly. Rudi Block The grain merchant who has taken to living at Huld’s place, his case has been going on for five years. Has taken several other lawyers too, in order to get his case going, which is all he thinks about, but to little avail. He is yet another beneficiary of Leni’s services, and gets involved in ridiculous playacting in front of K. in an effort to get him to keep Huld. The lawyer’s dog, so to speak. The Italian colleague K. is supposed to show him around town, at least the cathedral, but this turns out to be just a way to get K. there himself. The priest Talks to K., tells him the parable “Before the Law” and discusses it with him. He is a mouthpiece of the Court, and tells him the Court wants nothing of him. The two gentlemen

They come to Joseph’s place the night before his 31st birthday and haul him through town to the quarry, where they make him lie down, pass a knife over him, and finally kill him. Mrs. K. Joseph’s mother, an old widow whom he hasn’t visited in three years, but then suddenly decides to visit now. She lives in a small town and is almost blind. K.’ s cousin Lives in the same town as his mother, is alarmed about her health. K?hne An attendant at the bank, K. tells him what to do while he goes to see his mother. Helene The slut Hasterer lives with for a while. This disturbing and vastly influential novel has been interpreted on many levels of structure and symbol; but most commentators agree that the book explores the themes of guilt, anxiety, and moral impotency in the face of