Chapter seven of The Trial, by far the longest chapter so far, dumped huge amounts of information on the reader, while maintaining some of the common themes of previous chapters. K appears to be mentally deteriorating, the strain of his upcoming trial leading him to self-doubt and introspection. The lawyer, and the court painter K later meets, both know little of the inner workings of the court system. It seems like the only way to evade the court’s grasp is through inaction, or finding loopholes within the judicial system. There appears to be no way to fully escape the court once one becomes entangled in it; at best a person can hope for a temporary relieve through stalling and delay. However, this inaction is wearing greatly upon K, who struggles to maintain mental and emotional stability the longer he is in contact with the mysterious and intimidating court system.
This chapter also features the return of some recurring themes from earlier in the book. The stuffy, cloying nature of law and the court system is again represented at the painter’s house, where K’s struggle to breath steadily intensifies. Additionally, the female obsession with K is once again illustrated, as young girls outside of the painter’s apartment refuse to ignore K, and try to pry into K’s private conservations. More and more, Kafka’s harsh commentary of unaccountable judicial systems come into focus. In the U.S., we are accustomed to a fair system of law, in which Americans are privy to due process and the right to a fair trial. In the world of The Trial, such systems are nonexistent, and defendants’ lives are left to the mercy of a court which refuses to reveal its inner workings.