The Ideas of Innocence and Guilt on Franz Kafka’s "The Trial"

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Innocence and Guilt
Being guilty is a powerful feeling which shapes the actions of individuals. It causes people to fear being judged by the society around them. Franz Kafka’s The Trial opens with the notion of guilt and innocence. The novel questions the idea of what “guilty” and “innocent” can be. The main character, Joseph K is a successful bank executive at 30 years. He knows many women and lives comfortably in an inn. However, his life soon turns upside down when he is arrested. In the opening of the novel, the reader learns that Joseph K is arrested, without necessarily having done a crime. The author indicates that “someone must have slandered Joseph K” without having done something wrong (Franz 3). The quote demonstrates that Joseph K could be innocent. As the story unfolds, the information about his offense is limited, which makes it challenging for the audience to determine whether he is innocent or guilty. The author uses Joseph K to evoke a sense in the audience that what constitutes “right” or “wrong” should be clearly defined. On the one hand, Kafka makes it apparent that individuals should not be on trial if they are not legitimately charged. On the other hand, the author indicates the essence of punishing people only when they deserve it. However, the reader’s ideas regarding innocence and guilty are challenged as the author explores the two concepts.
Innocent individuals have to deal with mental strain brought about by the assumption of guilt. The law should assume that someone is innocent until a competent authority proves his guilt (Pennington 108). This is not the case since Joseph K does not know the crime he has committed. At the same time, he has to look for a lawyer to represent him. After some frustrations with lawyers, Joseph K decided to handle the case all by himself. Since he does not know what to expect, he experiences mental strain and exhaustion. While at his place of work, Joseph k is unable to concentrate well. As a result, his profession is adversely affected because of the case in court. Joseph K spends most of his time thinking about his case which keeps his clients waiting for a long time. While the defendant should be attending to other important issues, he has to dedicate his attention to the case. While Joseph K prepares for the trial, he is aware that the courts hold him to be guilty.
The bureaucratic system is vague and inefficient. The individuals who find themselves in such the system become helpless and distressed because their way out is blocked. A majority of the countries in the world adhere to the principle of “no crime no punishment.” In such nations, the law has the provision of innocence. Hence, any suspect remains innocent until proven guilty. On the contrary, in The Trial, it is not yet established the crime Joseph K has committed. One would expect that he should be presumed innocent until the contrary is proved. However, a painter named Titorelli warns Joseph K that being accused is equivalent to conviction (Franz 129). It is assumed that since Joseph K is on trial, he is automatically guilty. The system does not consider that not everyone on tria...