Guilt

Introduction

The question of guilt in Franz Kafka’s novel  The Trial has nothing to do with the everyday understanding of guilt. According to popular opinion, someone is guilty by violating a law. As a result, a trial is opened against him. the accused then learns why he is being charged and has the opportunity to defend himself. K. also initially judges the proceedings against him according to these standards when he describes the trial as a "business" (The Lawyer, 24%). However, the plot deviates significantly from this everyday understanding. 

In the entire novel, not once is it explicitly mentioned what K. is supposed to be guilty of. There is only one character who even asks K. about his guilt, and that is Titorelli :"But you are innocent?" (The Lawyer, 71%). The arrest itself seems enough proof of guilt for the court. Nevertheless, K. never tires of proclaiming his innocence. Until the end, he is also not aware of any guilt. In order to understand what Kafka wanted to express with the question of guilt, various interpretations are possible. 

The existential interpretation

The existential reading of the question of guilt is based on a statement by K.: " ‘But I’m not guilty,’ [...]‘it’s a mistake. How can a person be guilty anyway? We’re all human, every single one of us.’ " (In the cathedral, 67%). This sentence can be interpreted in two different ways. On the one hand, the sentence can mean that the case that a person should be generally considered innocent first and foremost. On the other hand, it can also be understood to mean that every person is guilty without distinction. 

Guilt is thus a fundamental element of human existence. This interpretation is more likely, since in the text itself the polarity between innocence and guilt is abolished and is of no importance to the court. This is wh...