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Kafka's The Trial.(Critical Essay)

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From: The Explicator
Date: 20020922
Author:Carter, Steven

Franz Kafka's many commentators disagree about the identity of the protagonist of "Before the Law," the extended parable that serves as THE TRIAL'S centerpiece. Is it (a) the man from the country; (b) the guardian at the door; or (c) Joseph K. himself, the "hero" of The Trial, who, according to some, serves as an unwitting and obtuse doppelganger of the man from the country (more on K. in a moment)? Although good cases have been made for a, b, c, or all three, in my view, the real protagonist of "Before the Law" is the Law itself.

To begin with, whatever (or whoever) the Law ...

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