Not pleased

So I'm pretty dissappointed so far by the book. Everything always remains so unclear. It's past the point of suspense, at least for me, it just seems dragged out. I don't know if this makes sense but I feel like all the characters we are being introduced to are just distracting. Some of them aren't relevant to the trial and when the book goes in to detail about them I get frustrated that it's a waste of time.

Ok, I think I thought of a possible theme. Throughout the past couple chapters I've definitely noticed one thing for sure: K. has 0 friends. Literally...no mention of even a distant friend has been made. I'm wondering if K. has a hard time forming and keeping relationships with others? I mean, he said that he hadn't seen or talked to his uncle for awhile. He also said that he felt regret for not having spoken to his cousin (his uncle's daughter) for quite some time. In addition to the distances found within he and his family members, the only person he seems to actually want to have a relationship with is nowhere to be found [Fraulein Burstner].

This is already a start for a topic like that, so I'm sure that there will be more examples I can use throughout the rest of the story. Any thoughts?

HELP!

What are you guys doing for your themes for the paper? I'm having a hard time developing a topic that I feel that I'll be able to sufficiently write about.

The Randomness of Kafka

All of the sudden after K. is accompanied by the Usher he finds himself not being able to breathe properly in the midst of the mustiness and damp air found in the dreadful law offices. I literally have no idea why this would be in the book.. Many things he writes I feel like there will be a reason for putting them in, but this part just seems like a waste of space. Maybe we'll find out later.

Also.. I'm wondering if this [the title that I made for this post] could be a possible topic for the paper we're writing later on. Does anybody have any feedback or suggestions about this? Maybe there is not a sufficient amount of information from the book to support the idea, idk. Someone help!

Fräulein Burstner's Friend

So after reading this chapter, it only brought me further away from making a conclusion on where the stories plot is going. I do agree somewhat with Gram on understanding the importance of several roles in the story. For instance I still am not sure what is Fraulin Burstner's importance other that to bug Joseph. Also did k. and Burstner have an affair or relationship not mentioned yet or that I never picked up on. This whole chapter was just about Burstner's friend, Montag, explaining why Burstner felt no need for a meetin between the two of them. Also I am guessing that the captain and Montag maybe have a role to play in the trial and that they have been moved there for an extra eye on k. or something amongst those lines.

There are a few things that I'm extremely confused about right now:

One, when is the Fraulein Montag going to come back into the story? Was she just to show that K. is young or is she supposed to be a vital part of the story?

I keep forgetting that the main character is supposed to be young. Kafka makes so many references that K. is either moving with a limp or is somehow having a hard time doing a seemingly effortless task.... I wonder why Kafka does this?

It worries me that the usher says that most of the cases are "foregone conclusions" and that his wife will most likely be of little help to him. The case is seeming to become more and more of a big deal... at first I thought it was nothing. But since both his uncle and the usher are saying these things that hint at a bigger problem are worrying me. I'm also afraid that K. is going play it too low and not prepare enough for the actual trial.

In general I thought I had a pretty good hold over the book but now I'm a little less confident :/

His Uncle. Leni

WOW.. I found this chapter to be very interesting and surprising. I was happy to know that K's. Uncle gives K. shit about how he is not really reacting to his trial. K. shows no emotion about why he is being put on trial and I find it appropriate that the uncle tries to put him in his place.

It seems to me that Huld, the lawyer, really cant do anything about K's. case if he is lying in a hospital bed the whole entire time. So I guess we will have to see what ever happens with that.

The end of the chapter really confused me. Leni, the Lawyers nurse, awkwardly and unexpectedly throws herself at K. I really do not understand where that came from.

The Offices

              In this chapter, the Offices, K. is lead but the Usher into the Offices of the magistrate. The purpose of this chapter bewildered me. First off, why is that everyone working in the offices are those who are also under the same circumstances as of Joseph. Why are they also having to go to trial? Then why is this the first time Joseph has heard of these people. He is told that any questions of his case can be answered by the man that chuckles at him when he is fainting (The man that dresses nicely to make a good first impression). This seems like information that would be given in the beginning of any case and especially some one like Joseph who appears to be well educated should be aware of this.   Also every one seems to be playing a role to set up Joseph. For instance the Users wife leads him on by sexually attracting him and then is taking off by the student. Moments later The Usher himself appears and seems to try to relate with K's. passion to hurt or get even with the student (seems to be set up). Then spontaneously this leads to K. following the Usher up the stairs into the offices in which he feels sick and nothing that the Usher said is true. For example the Usher said that no one would notice him or ask any questions of Josephs.

The Thrasher

So I do not know if you guys remember this, but at the beginning of our blog I mentioned that Kafka wrote an extra chapter for this book and did not know where to place it, so in everyone of his copies he randomly places it somewhere.

I think that the Thrasher, the chapter we just read was the extra chapter. I found it to be somewhat irrelevant to the story. I get that he goes back to the bank and is working a late night, he runs into two men and the guards that actually arrested him. I was confused about one thing though... did the guards come back to beat up K. because of what K. said in his testimony about the corruptness of the guards.. that is what it says but I do not understand why the guards would get in trouble for doing their job.. i must be missing something....

The Empty Courtroom

Hey guys! so I just realized that I have yet to read the empty courtroom. I do not see it anywhere on our blog so I am going to post my thoughts about it.

So. I found it really interesting that K. goes back the next morning even though he was really upset the other day. It shows that he is extremely curious about what he is there for... I mean I would be to. when he gets back to the courthouse, he finds things out that he would of never before imagined. for example, he found out that the courthouse was partially a courthouse and partially a house where they all live. He also found out that their is some pornography to this courthouse.. what kind of courthouse is he in? I did not understand why Bertold was trying to get with that women right in front of K. Did he not care? I appreciated that K. tried to help this women, but his efforts did not succeed.

As of right now I have no idea where the story is going to go.. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

The Student/The offices

                   So I just started reading again and read the following chapter (the Student). I found this chapters to be off the topic of K. case and a little more revealing of whats actually going on. For instance the Ushers wife has a whole story of her own. She seems to be frisky with all of the men in the offices and K. who she seems to know nothing about except that the magistrate is found in his case. Joseph has an attraction to this girl which especially irritates him when the student carries her off. I feel that this irritation is cause because of Josephs job and how he is not used to not getting exactly what he wants and a student not obeying him. Throughout the reading Joseph is portrayed as having a superior complex and looks and talks down to the people that surround him.