THE PRESENCE OF EXISTENTIAL PHILOSOPHY IN KAFKA'S THE TRIAL AND THE METAMORPHOSIS

Written at the beginning of the 20th century "The Trial" depicts "the rise of bureaucracy, the power of law, and the atomization of the individual", which are allegorically reflected in a story about Joseph K., a bank employee who is accused of unspecified crimes. This rather surreal and pessimistic narrative begins when two guards show up on K.'s 30th birthday and put him under arrest. Even though K. is allowed to continue living his life "normally", he is trying to make sense of his trial until being executed without any progress or clarity in his case. K.'s death, perhaps, was the only way for him to escape the bureaucracy web he found himself caught up in. There is no single interpretation of "The Trial", however, the essay will only focus on the mindless bureaucratic processes the protagonist has to face. Franz Kafka himself was, in a sense, a member of the bureaucratic world as his official profession was a lawyer; presumably, his writings were inspired by his formal day job. "The Trial" lets a reader to have a deep look into the chaotic, senseless and confusing hierarchical chain of the bureaucracy, which imprisons its victims in often unreasonbale circle of formalities and businesses.