1

Kafkas Segregation Franz Kafka undoubtedly into his The life incorporates Trial. The numerous and the

autobiographical traumatic

elements of

hardships impact

experiences

significantly

novels tone, characters, and themes. Particularly, Kafkas lifelong religious tensions play a momentous role in the development of the story. The justice system presented in The Trial is completely absurd. The system is totally unjust and at most times entirely unreasonable. During the course of the novel, the law appears to adjust itself to the case in a very impromptu fashion. The system seems to be very shallow without any set values or laws. It serves no justice and is beneficial only to those who are

prosecuting the case. The arrest and the trial propel K. to seek justice. In a way, it is a divine challenge for him to prove his innocence. It seems as if K. is not being judged for a crime, rather he is being prosecuted for the failings of his life. Since there are no specific failures or crimes presented, the battle for innocence is spiritual and intangible. In its entirety, the legal system and the trial parallel Judaism. It can be argued that religion in general is a solution for the unrelenting ignorance of people. It is an explanation of life and for everything that is unexplainable. As science and knowledge advance, religion seems to evolve and adapt to the

facts.

The system

of law

used

against

K.

works

in

the

same

fashion, adjusting to the given conditions and still work against the protagonist. Franz Kafkas life is unmistakably analogous to K.s trial. Kafka was born in Prague in 1883. At the time, the city was still part of Bohemia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Anti-Semitism was widespread throughout eastern Europe. Jews were reduced by economic Kafka and social allowed and disadvantage to embrace to his congregating Judaism in ghettos. of his

wasnt

because as

fathers

beliefs

the

familys

registration

Czech-

nationals. In a sense, he was being subdued and segregated, just like K. was during the trial. In his early years, Kafka maintained a negative self-

perception. He considered himself inferior to those around him. As Kafkas life went on, he had many periods of uncertainty and self-doubt. At a few points in his life, family business problems and love affairs forced him to contemplate suicide. In The Trial, K. also ponders suicide. Throughout his lifetime, Kafka had many Jewish friends and girlfriends. However, he never really adopted the religion until 1911 when he was drawn to the Yiddish theater after a traveling troupe arrived in Prague. For Kafka, the Yiddish theater was appealing for various reasons. The coarse melodramas afforded him insights aspects into of his ancestry. It also allowed and him to explore by his

race

and

nationality

detested

ignored

father, who considered the ethnic tradition a nasty reminder of

the ghetto. The father, Hermann Kafka, was driven by the fact that he had to work very hard to get his children out of the ghetto. Despite his fathers objections, Franz was inspired by the Jewish theater. He began studying Yiddish literature and

Judaism. At one point he even attended a musical presentation arranged by radical Zionists. Although Judaism played a very significant role in shaping The Trial, Kafka chose to summarize his life through the allegory of the doorway. This incredibly effective literary device sums up the author life within several pages. After every obstacle Kafka knocked down in life he always faced an even greater and more difficult challenge. His social life was a prime example of this. He was constantly caught up in various affairs, relationships, and engagements. In his relationships he went through one door only to be stopped at the next one. Generally, Kafka had a very hard time getting through the symbolic doors career wise, as well. He was always stuck with his insurance agency and the family asbestos factory. Once again, his anti-religious father forced him against his will. The allegory of the doorway can also be related to the fore mentioned concept of religion. In Judaism, every good deed is considered a mitzvah, which determines whether or not the

person goes to Hashem after they die. The doors of the allegory represent those mitzvahs. The person is aware that Hashem is somewhere behind the door. However, no matter how hard the

individual tries, he/she will never be able to reach past the

door. This concept clearly resembles life, an endless struggle to succeed. The alienation and uncertainty of Kafkas life is

attributable to his struggle with religion and life in general. All of his troubles are reflected in this somewhat

autobiographical work in which a simple insurance agent is stuck in an illogical system; a system that seems to be a religion; a religion that seems to be an absurdity; an absurdity that seems to be an irrational life; an irrational life that seems to be perfectly rational