Rereading The Trial: A Search for Contemporary Legal Values

The novel The Trial, one of Kafka’s classic masterpieces, is rich in legal elements and the author’s reflections on the spirit of law. Although the novel explores the law of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the twentieth century, the excavation of the inherent shortcomings of the law is still worth exploring. Firstly, the judicial injustice in the novel is analyzed to highlight the significance of procedural justice; secondly, the religious theology Kafka believes in and the unique sense of guilt he carries are analyzed in the context of the novel’s storyline; and lastly, the issue of persecution of human beings around the alienation of the law is explored. Re-examining The Trial from a legal perspective not only allows for a multi-dimensional interpretation of the novel’s themes and creative ideas, but also triggers many thoughts on modern legal issues.