K.’s Interactions with Women- Completed Term Paper

Details about Franz Kafka’s personal life, namely his relationships with women, have eluded and mystified readers for nearly a century. The existentialist author endeavored to keep his work and private life hidden from the criticism of others. However, dissecting his work seems to be the most revealing way to reconnoiter his relationships with women. In many of his novels, Kafka’s narration serves as a muddy rendition of both his and the main character’s thought process. The Trial, one of Kafka’s most famous and studied novels, offers unique insight that helps reveal information concerning his personal life that most biographies fail to grasp. The protagonists’ unbridled interactions with female characters reveal the authors array of views toward women, whether merely as sexual toys that deviate from functional society, or as gentle and mysterious necessities of a sane life.
One of the first encounters that K., the protagonist, has with women occurs at the courthouse. A housewife, who cleans the law offices simply as a way of paying the rent, courts K. despite her marital status. From the start, K.’s brief relationship with the woman becomes scandalous and rogue when “she stretched out her legs, pulled her dress up to her knees, and viewed her legs herself as well (Kafka, 61).” He shows no restraint in having an affair with a married woman. Moreover, the narration does not even recognize this inappropriate act as ludicrous, as if both K.’s and the unfaithful woman’s actions was warranted.
One might say that K. is not at fault, seeing that the young woman approached him, and that it is only natural to flirt with an attractive member of the opposite sex. However, K. takes the courtship a few steps further. After becoming aware of her promiscuity with other people involved with the court, namely a student and high-ranking court official, he continues to desire the woman. But this desire is spiteful. Kafka claims “there was perhaps no better way to revenge himself upon the examining magistrate and his retinue than taking this woman away from them for himself (Kafka, 61).” His quest for revenge on the court is both premature and ignorant, but it is even more degrading to the woman if revenge is his sole purpose in the affair. He goes on to refer to the woman as only a “warm body”, something that “belonged” to him. These sentiments are belittling. The lack of chivalric respect shows K.’s acknowledgement of her promiscuity, yet he still wants her. He wants her to the point that he becomes infuriated in jealousy when the student carries her away. It can be concluded that the attraction to the housewife is based on a swaying foundation of lust and spite. This type of lewd attraction would be deemed benighted and lecherous by society, and had he followed through with the affair, K. would have faced a great deal of misfortune in his relations with the court.
Leni the nurse represents another example of how women seem to yearn for K.’s attention. Out of all the female characters in the novella. Leni seems to be the most attracted, obsessed, and persistent in her pursuit of his affection. The sexual relationship shared between the two is odd to say the least; just moments after meeting each other, they have sex. The relationship becomes even more scandalous as the chosen place of refuge is in K.’s lawyers residence, while the lawyer, a court official, and a family member are impatiently waiting in a nearby room. This impulsive act of nature shows both K.’s and Leni’s willingness to defy all laws of courtesy in order to achieve sexual satisfaction. K. practically snubs a very elusive, powerful court official for the charms of a complete stranger. His behavior paints the reader a very clear picture of where his priorities are. The initial voluptuous adventure marks the second time that K. jeopardizes his reputation and relationship with the court, a very risky and impulsive action for someone deeply concerned with the outcome of his trial.
After their initial engagement, K. seems to lose romantic interest in her. While they do have sexual relations, K. refuses to let her become a distraction as he focuses on the process of his trial. Eventually, before he endeavors to fire his lawyer, K. treats her as more of a nuance than a sex toy. K. responds to the statement that she “does not need any other thanks than that you’re fond of me,” with a rhetorical “Fond of you (Kafka, 181)?” He then reconsiders his words in an earnest effort not to openly demean her. But the comment, or slip rather, truly shows how little he values Leni. Later in the chapter, the lawyer asks whether Leni had been too bold in her speech. K. replies “Too forward?”, as if he was oblivious to the meaning of the phrase, or had not noticed this flaw in Leni. There are a few reasons explaining K.’s dumbfounded nature upon hearing of her forwardness. It could be that he had been so consumed in his case that he had not devoted an ounce of thought to her or her boldness. He may also believe women like Leni have the right, or obligation rather, to sexually market themselves, and that women behave like this around him so frequently that it seems normal. Whatever the reason, K. obviously pays no attention to the lack of chastity in the women he meets.
K. encounters a contingency of teenage girls on his visit to the painter, and Kafka seizes another opportunity to imply judgments on women. The behavior of the girls is described in an inappropriate manner as neither the lead-girls’ “youth nor her deformity had prevented her early corruption (Kafka, 141).” This description provides the reader with an aftertaste of pedophilia. A thirteen-year-old girl is not yet developed mentally and sexually, yet Kafka describes her speech and actions in a way that would make her seem “corrupted.” It can be assumed that the entire situation is inappropriate by K. “Ignoring her behavior.” Furthermore, the reference to “early corruption” also hints at the immature sexual prowess of the girl. The corruptness correlates with rushed ploys of courtship; the thirteen year old girl’s “inviting” behavior towards a man two decades her elder is appalling. Moreover, the young girl continues her lewd behavior as “she lifted her little skirt, which was extremely short to begin with, with both hands and ran as fast as she could…(Kafka, 144)”. The comment on the short skirt is a direct judgment on the girl’s sexual provocation at such a young age. Kafka could have simply stated that she ascended up the steps to the top of the building, but instead he makes comments concerning her scanty attire.
His choice to recognize the inappropriate behavior has significant meaning. The building where the girls live is located in an impoverished part of the city. It can be assumed that the girls dress accordingly, based on Kafka’s use of the word “depravity” to describe them. K.’s age and looks may have been factors in the girls’ behavior, but it is obvious Kafka intended to make wealth a major catalyst as well. As seen with the maid at the courtroom and Leni the nurse, women of the lower class seem staggered by K.’ presence and frequently offer themselves to him. Similar actions occur with the girl’s at this building. In their meager status, the teenagers run towards K. as if he were the last man on earth. The desires appear to be the less developed version of the lusts experienced by other blue-collar, lower class women in the novel, but are noteworthy nonetheless.
The fact that Kafka describes her boldness in such a manner is intriguing in itself, but it must be remembered how K. responds to the young girls’ behavior. He simply dodges her volley of flirtation, insisting to meet with the painter. K.’s attitudes towards women throughout the novel are both misogynistic and opportunistic. He exchanges courtship for sex, and his strategy is fairly successful. In the case of the teenagers, he pays attention to them, and they lead him to the painter. The girls perceive his attention as mild flirtation, and everyone is satisfied. K. more or less takes advantage of his looks, status, and wealth to lure women, use them, and continue onto his next conquest.
K.’s brief relationship with Fraulein Burstner sparks interest in several ways. To begin, her role in the novel is both unclear and unresolved. She appears in the first few chapters, and then returns in the final scene for only a moment, as if scenes with her in it had not been included in the publication of The Trial. Regardless, her limited part is significant. She serves as the only woman who entirely rejects K.’s advances. Like the others, Leni, the court maid, and the little girls, Fraulein Burstner has a modest social status- she is a typist. This similarity coincides with K.’s other women. He is attracted to a woman in a lower monetary tier of society, Fraulein Burstner, and attempts to have relations with her. The banker’s spontaneous kisses are not warmly welcomed, and she promptly moves away, making her the exception to the lower-class women’s attraction to K. Her appearance in the end may serve as a symbol of his solidarity; he never meets another woman that he truly wishes to commit himself to. K. dies as a bachelor. It is difficult to analyze the peculiarity of her actions because of the undeveloped nature of the book, but it exemplifies an exception to Kafka’s previous undertakings.
K.’s relationships with the women of The Trial serve as a microcosm of both Kafka’s lifestyle and the lifestyle’s of the young, upper-class men in this time period. Women of the lower classes desired men with power. Men with money. Men who were attractive and sophisticated. They wanted commitment from these men, and tried to lure it through advanced courtship- intense affection and sex. Leni’s promiscuity, the maid’s undressing, and the young girls’ flirtation were purely instinctive, promoted by a society that condones these types of premarital, crass associations if it meant .Kafka was known for his various, lusty affairs with women. He often met with them merely for sex, regularly hiring prostitutes. He never maintained contact with these women for more than a few months, moving onto to the next woman he could seduce quickly. Women found him attractive for his calm, serious demeanor, not to mention his law degree and boyish good-looks were inviting (Brod, 11). His description sounds eerily similar to K., a young, sophisticated, attractive white-collar man. In essence, the two people are one in the same; Kafka’s views towards women parallel K.’s. Each man found it easy to find and seduce women, but maintaining a relationship proved difficult. They used impoverished or lower class women as pawns of sexual satisfaction, living and dying alone.

References:
Brod, Max. Franz Kafka: A Biography. 1995. Web.
Kafka, Franz. The Trial. New York: Schocken Books Inc, 1952. Print.

The Teenage girls

K. encounters a contingency of teenage girls on his visit to the painter, and Kafka seizes another opportunity to imply judgments on women. The behavior of the girls is described in an inappropriate manner as neither the lead-girls’ “youth nor her deformity had prevented her early corruption (page 141).” This description provides the reader with an aftertaste of pedophilia. A thirteen year old girl is not yet developed mentally and sexually, yet Kafka describes her speech and actions in a way that would make them seem so. It can be assumed that the situation is inappropriate by K. “Ignoring her behavior.” Furthermore, the reference to “early corruption” also hints at the immature sexual prowess of the girl. The corruptness correlates with rushed ploys of courtship; the thirteen year old girl’s “inviting” behavior towards a man two decades her elder is appalling. Moreover, the young girl continues her lewd behavior as “she lifted her little skirt, which was extremely short to begin with, with both hands and ran as fast as she could… (page 144)”.
Kafka could have simply stated that she ascended up the steps to the top of the building, but instead he makes comments concerning her scanty attire. His choice to recognize the inappropriate behavior has significant meaning. The building where the girls live is located in an impoverished part of the city. It can be assumed that the girls dress accordingly, based on Kafka’s use of the word “depravity” to describe them. K.’s age and looks may have been factors in the girls’ behavior, but it is obvious Kafka intended to make wealth a major catalyst as well. As seen with the maid at the courtroom and Leni the nurse, women of the lower class seem staggered by K.’ presence and frequently offer themselves to him. Similar actions occur with the girl’s at this building. In their meager status, the teenagers run towards K. as if he were the last male on earth. The desires appear to be the less developed version of the lusts experienced by other blue-collar, lower class women in the novel.

The Housewife

One of the first encounters that K., the protagonist, has with women occurs at the courthouse. A housewife, who cleans the law offices simply as a way of paying the rent, courts K. despite her marital status. From the start, K.’s brief relationship with the woman becomes scandalous and rogue when “she stretched out her legs, pulled her dress up to her knees, and viewed her legs herself as well (page 61).” He shows no restraint in having an affair with a married woman. Moreover, the narration does not even recognize this inappropriate act as ludicrous. (Throughout The Trial, Kafka’s descriptions of people and situations would parallel the thoughts of K.)
One might say that K. is not at fault, seeing that the young woman approached him, and that it is only natural to flirt with an attractive member of the opposite sex. However, K. takes the courtship a few steps further. After becoming aware of her promiscuity with other people involved with the court, namely a student and high-ranking court official, he continues to desire the woman. But this desire is spiteful. Kafka claims “there was perhaps no better way to revenge himself upon the examining magistrate and his retinue than taking this woman away from them for himself.” His quest for revenge on the court is both premature and ignorant, but it is even more degrading to the woman if revenge is his sole purpose in the affair. He goes on to refer to the woman as only a “warm body”, something that “belonged” to him. These sentiments are also belittling. The lack of chivalric respect shows K.’s acknowledgement of her disloyalty. Yet he still wants her. He wants her to the point that he becomes infuriated in jealousy when the student carries her away. It can be concluded that the attraction to the housewife is based on a swaying foundation of lust and spite. This type of lewd attraction would be deemed benighted and lecherous by society, but is more understandable due to the perfidious behavior that stems from the housewife.

Investigating Kafka’s View towards women

Details about Franz Kafka’s personal life, namely his relationships with women, have eluded and mystified readers for nearly a century. The existentialist author endeavored to keep his work and private life hidden from the criticism of others. However, dissecting his work seems to be the most revealing way to reconnoiter his relationships with women. In many of his novels, Kafka’s narration serves as a muddy rendition of both his and the main character’s thought process. The Trial, one of Kafka’s most famous and studied novels, offers unique insight that helps reveal information concerning his personal life that most biographies fail to grasp. The protagonists’ emotionally sporadic interactions with female characters reveal the authors array of views toward women, whether merely as sexual toys that deviate from functional society, or as gentle and mysterious necessities of a sane life.

K. and Female Characters

Further commentary on K’s demeanor towards women and what it says about Kafka’s views.

In “The Offices” and “The Uncle Leni” K encounters two more women, the young girl with the court usher and a family friend named Erna. The young woman baby sits K as he childishly becomes incapacitated at the Law Court Offices. He relies on her sympathy and care as he regains his strength. She is portrayed as a compassionate, trustworthy, and morally sound person as she comes to K’s rescue.Kafka’s motherly description of the woman makes her a likable character. Moreover, she is treated far differently from the family relative, whom K blows off. Despite his rude behavior, she still shows a motherly affection by lieing about receiving chocolates from him on her birthday. Despite K’s different reaction towards each character, the motherly nature of these characters is a tell-take sign of Kafka’s views on women.

The Trial and Notes from the Underground

After reading Kafka’s The Trial and Dostoyevsky’s Notes from the Underground, I’ve noticed a few similarities between the ways two authors of different nationalities wrote during the same time period. Dostoyevsky, a Russian, takes the reader on a philosophical roller coaster. His logic can become painfully confusing, and he takes several different points of view throughout the novel. At times, the reader is left wondering whether or not he is telling the truth, or is simply setting up a contradiction. Dostoyevsky’s style of writing is, as he claims, an appropriate reflection of Russian Romanticism. Kafka, in The Trial, takes a far less philosophical standpoint, yet he still manages to add a mystical or whimsical touch. His character is alleged without obvious reason, allowing him to spend a major portion of the narrative confronting different people concerning the mysterious allegations. In both stories, the reader is left wondering, and even skeptical, as to which way the author will direct the plot. Moreover, Dostoyevsky makes a few references to Kafka’s Metamorphosis. He also comments on the differences in Russian and German Romanticism. Russian Romanticism, per Dostoyevsky, takes a more practical approach. While Kafka is indeed German, in my opinion, he strays away from commonly recognized romanticists writing with his direct yet mysterious approach.

K’s Interactions with Women

Kafka has an interesting way of describing K.’s interactions with attractive women. His style of writing typically lends itself to intuitive and insightful description. But the account of his situation with the women in “In the Empty Courtroom, The Student, The Offices” is rather bizarre. After meeting this woman, Kafka quickly initiates an affair. Kafka goes so far as to say that “the examining magistrate would find the bed of the women empty…this woman at the window, this voluptuous, supple, warm body in a dark dress of heavy, coarse, material, belonged to K., and K. alone. Kafka hastily assumes that the woman will abandon all other responsibilities to solely be with K. This unique account can allude to several things. It could simply imply K’s arrogance towards his charismatic nature. This situation could just be another facet of the whimsical tone of The Trial, where a bank clerk is sexy and charming enough to seduce a woman within a matter of minutes. And finally, it could possibly indicate that Kafka envelops a misogynistic viewpoint, where a woman will abandon people that rely and care for her in exchange for a love affair. Either way, the hasty actions of the woman in this particular case are peculiar.

The German Writers

After reading both The Trial and The Reader, it’s interesting to compare the writings of German writers that were separated by a few generations. Schlink and Kafka each write in a more or less straight-forward tone. From vivid sex scenes to more conservative scenes of affection, both writers let the audience know of what is going on in the story. The blunt nature makes each novel more amiable in terms of reading; the audience dissects the plot instead of trying to recognize it.

Another Anti-Romantic Element

After posting my previous post, I came across another anti-romantic element of The Trial. While it is merely a small piece of the story, K. is offered a chance to go sailing by a superior in his line of work. In the construction of this novel, Kafka could have played off this sailing adventure, but K declined the invitation, instead opting for a time-consuming, counterproductive interrogation. I am not going to say that Kafka should have extended a sailing scene, but it definetley would have brought a relaxing, spontaneous element to the novel instead of straying from the monotonous scenes of pothered paper-work and stiff suits. The most probable cause of avoiding a sailing scene is obvious: Kafka, being a European writer, likely did not have an appreciation for the ocean and therefore could not have been able to describe the ocean in such a way that would have accented the story. He tends to stick to writing in a world of urban conspiracy.

Kafka’s Cut-Dry Style of Writing

Is it just me, or is Kafka’s style of writing very dry? The plot of The Trial is very interesting and the characters are complex, but Kafka managed to write this novel in probably one of the most monotonous methods I have ever encountered. It is as if he and K. are anti-romanticists. For example, early in “the initial inquiry,” Kafka comments on how “the weather was dull on Sunday, and K. was very tired.” What is dull weather? Does that mean pleasantly mild or damp and overcast? This type of description, or lack thereof , gives the story a mellow, gray tint that lulls the reader asleep. Furthermore, it helps over-emphasize the formality of the plot. There is not a lot of room for humor and excitement in a story of bankers, lawyers, and authorities. While the tone in which the story is written is very serious, not much more can be expected in my opinion. Even though it can make a reader weary, if you onsider the circumstances and situations in this story, a straightfoward style of writing seems more appropriate and is probably more conducive to constructing an entertaining plot in the long run.