ASSIGNMENT

Submitted to Submitted by

Dr.Sreelekshmi Ma'am Serin Sara Prince

Department of English 2nd year MA English

Date of Submission:

12/4/2024
Quotes

1. " Someone must have been telling lies about Joseph K. He knew he had done nothing wrong .
But one morning ,he was arrested ".

2. "It would have been so pointless to kill himself that even if he had wanted to the pointless
would have made him unable ".

3. " From a certain point onwards there is no longer any turning back that is the point that must
be reached".

4. "They are talking about taste of which they don't have the slightest understanding . It's only
because of their stupidity that they are able to be so sure of themselves ".

5. "It is not necessary to accept everything as true, one must only accept as necessary ".

6. "Logic may indeed be unshakeable, but it cannot withstand a man , who is determined to live".

7. 'Like a dog' ! he said . It was as if the shame of it should outlive him".

8. "The books we need are of the kind that act upon us like a misfortune that makes us suffer
like the death of someone we love more than ourselves that make us feel as though we were on
the verge of suicide lost in a forest remote from all human habitation".

Explanation

1. With the beginning of the novel, Kafka initiates the central conflict of the tale. Despite K.'s
belief that he has committed no wrongdoing, he discovers that an unknown court is pursuing
legal action against him for an undisclosed offense.The only indication provided by the narrator
about how or why Joseph K arrived at this helpless predicament is a subtle insinuation that
someone may have been spreading falsehoods and fabrications about him.This initial clue
serves as both a tantalizing glimpse into what lies ahead and an ominous warning of the dire
consequences awaiting our protagonist if he fails to unravel this mystery and clear his name.

2. Here , in this statement the author reflects on an experience of being left alone in a room by
police officers. They acknowledge that from the officers' perspective, there was potential for
harm as they were unsupervised and had access to means of self-harm. However, from their
own viewpoint, they couldn't fathom any reason why they would want to harm themselves. The
author considers whether perhaps the deprivation of breakfast or some other factor could be at
play but ultimately concludes that such reasoning is pointless.
The author also wonders if maybe the police officers didn't perceive any danger in leaving them
alone because they too recognized the futility of self-harm in this scenario. However, due to
possible limitations in their cognitive abilities, it's uncertain whether this conclusion was
reached.

3. The quote in question pertains to the inevitability of change and the significance of
embracing it. According to Kafka, there is a certain juncture in life where we must come to
terms with the fact that we cannot revert back to the way things once were, and that we must
forge ahead despite any hardships or discomforts that may arise. Essentially, this quote serves
as a reminder that change is an integral part of life, and resisting it can ultimately lead to
stagnation. Instead, we should strive to embrace change as an opportunity for growth and
development, even if it means stepping outside of our comfort zones.

4. Here , in this quotation it merely mentions about things of which they don't have the slightest
understanding, anyway. It's only because of their stupidity that they're able to be so sure of
themselves. I just need few words with someone of the same social standing as myself and
everything will be incomparably clearer, much clearer than a long conversation with these two
can make it. He walked up and down the free space in the room a couple of times, across the
street he could see the old woman who, now, had pulled an old man, much older than herself, up
to the window and had her arms around him.

As the speaker restlessly ambules around the room, his gaze happens upon an elderly woman
embracing an even more aged man across the street. While this detail may seem extraneous to
the narrative at hand, it could be interpreted as a subtle indication that amidst his vexation and
solipsistic ruminations, there still exist instances of tenderness occurring outside his immediate
purview. Ultimately, this text appears to delve into themes of exasperation with others' cognitive
limitations or lack of comprehension, alongside sentiments of detachment and yearns for
affiliation with similarly-minded individuals.

5. In this text, the author is discussing a concept called "necessity" and how it relates to the
legal system. The chaplain in the story says that you don't have to believe everything is true, but
only accept it as necessary. This idea of necessity is what drives the legal system forward, even
if it means lying becomes a universal principle.

The main character K realizes that this is a sad thought because when necessity becomes the
standard for justice, then justice itself cannot exist. In fact, in the story The Trial, those seeking
justice end up accepting this warped principle of necessity and submit to their own exclusion or
death.

6.Towards the end of the book, a quote emerges as Joseph K. faces charges for an unknown
crime and is informed that he is in grave danger throughout the entire novel. Despite this, he has
never seen a judge or had any hearings until two individuals arrive at his apartment to transport
him out of town with plans to execute him.

In this moment, Joseph K. realizes that his fate is sealed; however, his mind still clings onto
hope that he may be cleared of all accusations and regain freedom from captivity even though
these men hold sharp weapons. Although technically possible for a judge to intervene on his
behalf, reality does not align with such wishes ,as our protagonist's desire to survive ultimately
crumbles under the weight of harsh truth , leaving us all feeling despondent about what could
have been.

7.This statement could be interpreted as Kafka wishing an unsatisfactory and sorrowful death
upon his character, Joseph K. However, when we take into account one of Kafka's diary entries
in which he describes Joseph K.'s execution as being directly linked to the humiliations inflicted
upon him by his father, this interpretation becomes even more plausible.

Nevertheless, we should also consider the possibility that K.'s death represents a form of
liberation for him. The parable previously mentioned highlights how the man from the country
experiences a sense of enlightenment or "radiance"at precisely the moment he passes away. In
other words, his awareness of his true situation coincides with his demise.

In light of this concept within the novel, it is possible to argue that K.'s increasing
comprehension of both his predicament and society's workings brings him closer to accepting
his own mortality; thus ,making death seem like less of an undesirable outcome for him.

8. The quote posits that books should function as axes that cleave through the frozen sea
within us. Kafka implies that literature ought to possess immense power and make a profound
impact on its readership; we should only peruse works that challenge and compel us to
contemplate our lives and selves deeply.

Kafka viewed reading not merely as a leisurely pursuit but also as an activity of personal growth
and exploration. He regarded it with urgency since his literary aspirations were curtailed by his
prior engagements, first as a law student, then later, as a civil servant.

To illustrate this point further, Kafka recounted to his friend Oskar Pollak in a letter dated
January 27th, 1904 how he read Friedrich Hebbel's diaries - all 1800 pages of them- almost at
once. This anecdote underscores just how much importance Kafka placed on engaging with
powerful literature.