Pranjul Sati Sati itibaren दम्हा, मध्य प्रदेश, भारत
It's been at least six years since I first read this book, and I can still remember laughing out loud several different times. Not exactly what you'd expect given all the tragedy Eggers had thrown his way, but it's one of the things that sets this book apart from many lesser memoirs.
Kafka’s The Trial left me with many questions and I believe that was the author’s intention. The most obvious question concerns what K. is accused of and why this answer is never revealed by the author. Religion obviously appears to play a role and this is most notably seen with K.’s discussion with the priest who turns out to be the prison chaplain. Perhaps the presumed guilt of K. is a representation of human sin found in Christianity? Following his discussion with the Priest, K. determines the story of the gatekeeper means “…the world is founded on untruth.” Throughout the story the reader is trying to make sense of what is happening to K. Why is he arrested? Why is he condemned? What is the purpose of his various relationships? Was he ever free? In the end, no answers are found. I’m not sure if Kafka was an absurdist, an existentialist, or neither; but these philosophical concepts run deep in his writing. There are so many different conclusions that could be drawn from this novel. Maybe in the end there is no meaning to the events of the story and of K.’s life. Or perhaps, the reader and K. must create their own meaning of the events and therefore life. There’s much more I could write about this novel but I need more time to let it absorb.