The Trial - post III

The book ends without a reprieve for Joseph K. who fails right until the end to understand what the law is all about and that logic and common sense cannot be applied to its workings.

Bullet points between pages 184 - 251

* Joseph expresses dissatisfaction with progress of his case and sets off to see the advocate to dismiss him from the case and meets another arrested man Block a merchant who warns him against dropping the advocate

* The advocate tries to stop K. from dropping his services by humiliating Block and showing the power he has over the fate of those who are depending on him for salvation but that just makes K. more determined to abandon the advocate

* K. is being ground down by the case and is sent by his manager to accompany an Italian to the cathedral but the tourist fails to arrive and just as K. is about to leave the priest calls out his name from the pulpit

* The priest turns out to be the prison chaplain and warns K. that his case is going badly and bemoans the fact that Joseph is unable to adapt his mind to the workings of the court and keep holding on to his logic that is inappropriate to understand the workings of the court

* The final chapter is a sinister version of the first with two men coming to collect K. and they arm lock him and take him trough town to a quarry and on the way K., who seems to realise what is happening, resigns himself

* Leaning against a rock on the edge of the quarry the two men pull out a knife and then kill K. with his last words about the shame of it meant to sum up the futility and the anger of the shameful death

A review will follow once the story has sunk in a bit…