In the trial, Franz Kafka tells the story of Joseph K., a man persecuted by the law. The novel begins with K.'s arrest, which introduces him to a seemingly bizarre legal system. The arrest turns out to be strange, since K. is never told what he is accused of and is not detained in prison. In the following months the case continues to reveal strange aspects of the bureaucracy that controls K.'s trial. For an entire year K. is consumed by the trial and struggles to advance his case and obtain information about the legal system. Ultimately, the fight ends with his execution and most questions remain unanswered. This leaves one wondering what Kafka intended The Trial to mean in a broader sense. One interpretation might suggest that Kafka conveys a message about the meaning of life, as it does not exist. K.'s actions and experiences during the trial demonstrate that life is meaningless and that continually fighting this idea and seeking a substantial purpose is futile. Despite efforts to counter this conclusion, human beings are all inevitably doomed to failure. Consequently, Kafka uses the character of K. to illustrate how one should not live, given this vision. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay A central aspect of The Trial is K.'s tenacity and obsession with the case. From the beginning K. faces the trial with a combative attitude, trying to fight against the law and obtain information. Since his arrest, K. has vigorously questioned officials about his allegations and continues to seek answers as the case progresses. When the first interrogation is scheduled, K. seems ready for battle. Before this event K. decides that “the case was ongoing and he had to fight it” (32). Having arrived at the interrogation, K. allows himself to deliver a long speech which essentially criticizes the legal system, referring to his experience as "a representative of a wrong policy which is directed against many other people" (42). Before leaving the courtroom, however, the investigating judge in charge of the meetings tells K. that he has eliminated the normal advantages that would be granted to a defendant. In this case K.'s efforts to fight the system prove futile. After the interrogation K. becomes increasingly paranoid. Although he is neither detained nor obliged to attend regular hearings, K. seems obsessed with fighting the law. Even while working in the bank K. is distracted because "the thought of the case never leaves him" (113). As proof of his paranoia, he goes so far as to plan a statement that would explain his entire life and serve in his defense. K. suggests that he feels as if his whole life is on trial, although he has received no evidence to support this idea. It becomes apparent that he feels consumed by the case and trapped in the legal system. At one point K. describes his recent way of spending time near the window, looking out. Although seemingly insignificant, it may be symbolic of K.'s choice to remain “inside” the system feeling oppressed, while still having the ability to freely remain “outside.” Although K. is obsessed with the case, there is no law that prevents his freedom to continue with his daily activities outside the imaginary confines of the trial. However, K spends his time trying to defend himself and, despite this fixation, makes no progress. Perhaps Kafka intends to convey the idea that it is useless to continually evaluate and re-evaluate the problematic aspects of life, since this is a waste of time. K. can serve as an example of how not tolive as his paranoia only led to feelings of entrapment, but ultimately no progress. In the meantime he loses his life outside of his case. Another main aspect of the Process is the peculiar bureaucracy with which K. interacts. For the most part, the legal forces that hold power remain inaccessible. The officers, such as the director of K.'s arrest, talk about their superiors, but it is never revealed who these people are. This faceless system makes it difficult for K. to obtain information that could be useful. Furthermore, there are aspects of the legal system that make progress seem impossible. Another defendant, Block, tells K. that it is difficult to see the progress of an ongoing case. Indeed, the legal system demonstrates that defendants have very little control over the outcome of their trials. Even if he has not yet resigned himself to this conclusion, K. at a certain point amuses, «only the cases predestined from the beginning to succeed were successful, which they would have arrived at anyway without your help, while all the others were doomed to fail despite all your maneuvers” (122). Therefore, despite all efforts, the fate of the process is out of his control. Logically, if it is impossible to control the case in an unattainable bureaucracy, all efforts in this regard are useless and the time could be better spent. Ultimately, Kafka develops a legal structure that renders K and the other defendants powerless. This system may serve to parallel the human inability to control many aspects of life, particularly the end outcome. In addition to the inaccessible bureaucracy, K.'s interaction with the priest provides further insight into the meaning of the Trial. The priest, who serves the Court as a prison chaplain, tells K. the story of a man who spends his life waiting to gain "admission to the Law" (213). A gatekeeper stands there, but does not let the man enter. The man waits at the door for the rest of his life, but in the end he is never admitted. Although never allowed entry, the man is told that "the door was meant for you" (215). Therefore, there is no reason for him to be denied entry, which further highlights his lack of control over the situation. As the priest explains, it is important to understand that the man is not forced to wait there at any time. The man could simply go off to live the rest of his life in the countryside, as he has no control over his inevitable failure and, in turn, wastes precious time. Likewise, K. voluntarily spends his life focusing on the law, but no matter what his efforts have no effect on the final outcome. Before leaving the cathedral, K. is confused as to why the priest seems indifferent to his actions. The priest then explains that he is also part of the tribunal, and the tribunal wants nothing from him. Referring to the court, he tells K. that it "welcomes you when you arrive and dismisses you when you leave" (222). The legal system is not structured to require his efforts, and overall his actions are irrelevant. One possible message conveys that it doesn't matter what you do in an attempt to change the outcome of your life. Just as the court is not built to allow human interference, all life ends the same regardless, and there is no need to “interfere” in an attempt to change the situation. Suppose Kafka believes that life has no meaning. Therefore, life is not built to allow the search to find one. There is no need to spend a lot of time, as efforts will always end in failure, since there is no purpose. For a year after his arrest, K. continues to fight and reflect on his case. 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