To live is not just to exist. For one to exist one must live, explore, and learn about life’s ways. For some existence may be a hard thing to achieve in life. The Castle, by Franz Kafka depicts the meaning of life and existence, showing that human nature can make one’s life a difficult journey.
In the novel, Kafka shows that life is never the way it seems and will always have loose ends. Such a journey life is, especially for K. wondering around looking for a place to which he belonged, somewhere to call home. Coming upon a small village, an unwanted land surveyor attempts to make something of him self.
The village has been expecting him for some time, but yet they never expected him to actually arrive in their small self efficient village. It appears like there is a need for the land surveyor, K. , but then again there is actually no need for him at all. Imposing on an already divided, critical town, K. has made a few acquaintances.
First, with two sisters named Olga and Amelia, and their brother Barnabus whom is K. ‘s messenger and only means of communicating with the superiors in the Castle. On a trip to the Counts Arms for an evening drink after receiving a letter of employment from Klamm, it isn’t quite clear if it confirms or denies the possibility of future employment, K and Olga run into the barmaid Freida whom K. slyly starts talking to in order to find out more about this mystery man named Klamm, whom is said to stay at the Counts Arms very regularly.
Disappointed, K. learns that Klamm is an unreachable man. Most of K’s time is spent trying to find and talk to him. But this will never be achieved. It appears that the only thing K.
achieved to get from Klamm was Freida, his mistress. Still not being satisfied by that, K. continues his long journey of finding Klamm and the reason why an unwanted land surveyor is in such a village. A lot of the novel made no sense, it is very drawn out and not direct.
K. is an unwanted stranger to the villagers. The book shows that no matter how hard one may try, others have a hard time accepting someone they don’t know. There seems to be cliques in the village much like there is today in the America society. K.
is seen as a rebel that didn’t set in the ways of the village. K. was always being pushed away along with the problems that needed to be resolved. No one seemed to care or help K. in anyway. The only person that accepted K.
for who he was is Freida, but yet Frieda in the end left K. for someone else. Their relationship was based off of lust, which ended in an unexpected way. One can see that a relations ship that has lustful tendencies will not work out. Though this book was hard to fallow one was still able understand what is happening to K. When trying to understand the novel one has a hard time figuring out the true meaning behind all of the confusion of the book.
Even K. has a hard time figuring out why no one will accept the fact a land surveyor was summoned. All the experiences and hardships helped make K. understand more about the world and the way things work. Realizing that in order to live and achieve goals there are many things one must understand, go through and accept.
Acceptance is something everyone needs to learn. This book shows that by not accepting each other one can not achieve what is needed to be done. By accepting change things can get better or sometimes worse as in this case with K.
