Passage excerpt from Chapter 7 of The Trial by Franz Kafka
Was the lawyer trying to comfort K. or to confuse him? K. could not tell, but it seemed
clear to him that his defence was not in good hands. Maybe everything the lawyer said
was quite right, even though he obviously wanted to make himself as conspicuous as
possible and probably had never even taken on a case as important as he said K.'s
was. But it was still suspicious how he continually mentioned his personal contacts with
the civil servants. Were they to be exploited solely for K.'s benefit? The lawyer never
forgot to mention that they were dealing only with junior officials, which meant officials
who were dependent on others, and the direction taken in each trial could be important
for their own furtherment. Could it be that they were making use of the lawyer to turn
trials in a certain direction, which would, of course, always be at the cost of the
defendant? It certainly did not mean that they would do that in every trial, that was not
likely at all, and there were probably also trials where they gave the lawyer advantages
and all the room he needed to turn it in the direction he wanted, as it would also be to
their advantage to keep his reputation intact. If that really was their relationship, how
would they direct K.'s trial which, as the lawyer had explained, was especially difficult
and therefore important enough to attract great attention from the very first time it came
to court? There could not be much doubt about what they would do. The first signs of it
could already be seen in the fact that the first documents still had not been submitted
even though the trial had already lasted several months, and that, according to the
lawyer, everything was still in its initial stages, which was very effective, of course, in
making the defendant passive and keeping him helpless. Then he could be suddenly
surprised with the verdict, or at least with a notification that the hearing had not decided
in his favour and the matter would be passed on to a higher office.
It was essential that K. take a hand in it himself. On winter's mornings such as this,
when he was very tired and everything dragged itself lethargically through his head, this
belief of his seemed irrefutable. He no longer felt the contempt for the trial that he had
had earlier. If he had been alone in the world it would have been easy for him to ignore
it, although it was also certain that, in that case, the trial would never have arisen in the
first place. But now, his uncle had already dragged him to see the lawyer, he had to
take account of his family; his job was no longer totally separate from the progress of
the trial, he himself had carelessly—with a certain, inexplicable complacency—
mentioned it to acquaintances and others had learned about it in ways he did not know,
his relationship with Miss Bürstner seemed to be in trouble because of it. In short, he no
longer had any choice whether he would accept the trial or turn it down, he was in the
middle of it and had to defend himself. If he was tired, then that was bad.
But there was no reason to worry too much before he needed to. He had been capable
of working himself up to his high position in the bank in a relatively short time and to
retain it with respect from everyone, now he simply had to apply some of the talents that
had made that possible for him to the trial, and there was no doubt that it had to turn out
well. The most important thing, if something was to be achieved, was to reject in
advance any idea that he might be in any way guilty. There was no guilt. The trial was
nothing but a big piece of business, just like he had already concluded to the benefit of
the bank many times, a piece of business that concealed many lurking dangers waiting
in ambush for him, as they usually did, and these dangers would need to be defended
against. If that was to be achieved then he must not entertain any idea of guilt, whatever
he did, he would need to look after his own interests as closely as he could. Seen in this
way, there was no choice but to take his representation away from the lawyer very
soon, at best that very evening. The lawyer had told him, as he talked to him, that that
was something unheard of and would probably do him a great deal of harm, but K.
could not tolerate any impediment to his efforts where his trial was concerned, and
these impediments were probably caused by the lawyer himself. But once he had
shaken off the lawyer the documents would need to be submitted straight away and, if
possible, he would need to see to it that they were being dealt with every day. It would
of course not be enough, if that was to be done, for K. to sit in the corridor with his hat
under the bench like the others. Day after day, he himself, or one of the women or
somebody else on his behalf, would have to run after the officials and force them to sit
at their desks and study K.'s documents instead of looking out on the corridor through
the grating. There could be no let-up in these efforts, everything would need to be
organised and supervised, it was about time that the court came up against a defendant
who knew how to defend and make use of his rights.
But when K. had the confidence to try and do all this the difficulty of composing the
documents was too much for him. Earlier, just a week or so before, he could only have
felt shame at the thought of being made to write out such documents himself; it had
never entered his head that the task could also be difficult. He remembered one
morning when, already piled up with work, he suddenly shoved everything to one side
and took a pad of paper on which he sketched out some of his thoughts on how
documents of this sort should proceed. Perhaps he would offer them to that slow-witted
lawyer, but just then the door of the manager's office opened and the deputy-director
entered the room with a loud laugh. K. was very embarrassed, although the deputydirector, of course, was not laughing at K.'s documents, which he knew nothing about,
but at a joke he had just heard about the stock-exchange, a joke which needed an
illustration if it was to be understood, and now the deputy-director leant over K.'s desk,
took his pencil from his hand, and drew the illustration on the writing pad that K. had
intended for his ideas about his case.
K. now had no more thoughts of shame, the documents had to be prepared and
submitted. If, as was very likely, he could find no time to do it in the office he would have
to do it at home at night. If the nights weren't enough he would have to take a holiday.
Above all, he could not stop half way, that was nonsense not only in business but
always and everywhere. Needless to say, the documents would mean an almost
endless amount of work. It was easy to come to the belief, not only for those of an
anxious disposition, that it was impossible ever to finish it.
1. Use the passage to answer the question.
How does Kafka's diction in his description of the junior officials create a particular
tone?
•
A.
The rambling sentences and rhetorical questions create a sense of confusion.
•
B.
The bureaucratic language and short descriptions create a sense of authority.
•
C.
The extensive descriptors and reassuring adjectives create a sense of serenity.
•
D.
The lack of description and brief summary of the figures creates a sense of fear.
•
E.
The overblown style and run-on sentences create a quasi-religious sense of ceremony.
PreviousNext
1 / 10
0 of 10 Answered
2. Use the passage to answer the question.
What do K.'s documents represent?
•
A.
the value of pursuing goals
•
B.
the hopelessness of ambition
•
C.
the significance of self-interest
•
D.
the importance of organization
•
E.
the meaninglessness of bureaucracy
3. Use the passage to answer the question.
How does Kafka primarily develop suspense in the passage?
•
A.
by depicting a lengthy process in real time
•
B.
by creating a sense of chaos through syntax
•
C.
by describing a dire situation metaphorically
•
D.
by withholding key information about events
•
E.
by using diction associated with hopelessness
4. Use the passage to answer the question.
Based on this passage, which kind of defense does the reader anticipate the lawyer
providing K.?
•
A.
confusing
•
B.
inadequate
•
C.
bold
•
D.
provocative
•
E.
successful
5. Use the passage to answer the question.
How do the documents serve as a symbol that builds suspense in this excerpt
from The Trial?
•
A.
through the reader's ignorance of their contents or use
•
B.
through the reader's understanding of their importance
•
C.
through the reader's knowledge that the lawyer has them
•
D.
through the reader's lack of faith in the character's lawyer
•
E.
through the reader's suspicions about bureaucracy's nature
6. Use the passage to answer the question.
An incident involving which of the following characters provides the best example of a
temporal shift?
•
A.
the judge
•
B.
the lawyer
•
C.
the girlfriend
•
D.
the junior officers
•
E.
the deputy-director
7. Use the passage to answer the question.
In which sense can this excerpt from The Trial be read as a political statement?
•
A.
It shows the failings of a judicial system.
•
B.
It illustrates the ridiculousness of officials.
•
C.
It implies the importance of political protest.
•
D.
It demonstrates the importance of individuality.
•
E.
It proves that free will must be a primary concern.
8. Use the passage to answer the question.
Which of the following is the primary impact of Kafka's description of K.'s isolation in this
excerpt from The Trial?
•
A.
the comprehension that K. is slowly going mad
•
B.
the sense that K.'s legal trial is being drawn out
•
C.
the realization that K. is not, in fact, facing a trial
•
D.
the perception that K. is being unfairly persecuted
•
E.
the understanding that K. must primarily rely on himself
9. Use the passage to answer the question.
Write a careful analysis of how this passage relates to a philosophical movement and
how this connection helps to develop the themes of the text. Cite textual details to
support your answer. Your response should be 1–2 paragraphs.
10. Use the passage to answer the question.
Write a careful analysis of the multiple symbols found in this passage. In your analysis,
consider how the symbols combine to impact theme. Your response should be 1–2
paragraphs.
Purchase answer to see full
attachment