Kafka’s Double Bind: Freedom and Predestination in The Trial

The Trial is delightfully mysterious in a whole host of ways, but none more than this: the protagonist is both responsible for what happens to him and not responsible for what happens to him. While the Court is cruel and capricious, there’s plenty of evidence that Josef K. is not entirely innocent either. So what’s going on here? The solution, on my proposal, involves an innovative take on Christian theology, in which we’re responsible for making our souls ready for Grace, but in which no amount of preparation will guarantee its arrival. This is not a “message” sent by the novel; it is, instead, a shape for thought, a framework through which even secular readers can inspect a host of phenomena, from love to art, from inquiry to vocation. In more ways than one, we are all in Kafka’s world.