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BRITTA MACHE
State University of New York at Albany
The Biirstner Affair and Its Significance for the
Courtroom Scenes and the End of Kafka's Prozefl
Psychologieist Lesen einer Spiegelschrift,
also miThevoll,und was das immer stimmende Resultat betrifft,ergebnisreich...
critics made comparisons between this
female character and Kafka's former
fianc6e, Felice Bauer. These observations
resulted in Winkelman's detailed study of
(H 122; DF 100)
correspondences not only between Felice
and her fictional counterpart but also
between the imagery of guilt found in
I
Kafka's letters to Felice (after the dissoluFrom the start, commentators have tion of their engagement) and in the novel
sensed Fraiulein Biirstner's significance for itself (318). However, like other critics of
the novel Der Proze/3, yet found it difficult that time (Gray 4, Warren 131), Winkelto put their finger on any specifics. As early man, too, was puzzled by the ostensibly unas 1962, Allemann observed that the court motivated reappearance of Frl. Biirstner at
opened up "in der Leere hinter der ver- the end of the novel (333).
Frau" (275), without
When Literaturpsychologie achieved reschwundenen
to
this
"Frau."
attributing any significance
spectability in the early 1980s, the crucial
Politzer, in his landmark publication of the encounter between Frl. Biirstner and K.
same year, drew attention to the intimate was brought into focus once more. Kunz
link between K. and his landlady's female now called that section of the novel "eine
boarder by pointing out the degree of K's ingeniase Szene" (185), and Hiebel pointedindignation (on the evening of his arrest) ly asked: "Handelt es sich [hier] um die
when Frau Grubach announced her inten- Urszene des 'Sindenfalls'.. ." (182)? But
tion of giving notice to her (T22; P 33). Quite Hiebel, too, seemed to shy away from
rightly, Politzer took K.'s defensive gestures dealing with this pivotal scene in earnest,
toward Frl. Biirstner as "distinct indica- ascribing significance to it only "in darsteltions of his guilt feelings" (173), yet re- lerischer Hinsicht" (190), not, however, in
mained puzzled by it all, remarking: 'This terms of its content and meaning, or its sigeruption occurs without preparation and nificance for the novel as a whole.1
remains without immediate consequence.
It is the purpose of this paper to demonNor are we given any motivation for it" strate that this "Urszene des 'Siindenfalls"'
(173). Sokel, in his equally groundbreaking constitutes the Archimedean point of the
novel. Central as the whipper chapter may
study of 1964, judged Frl. Biirstner's
function to be "von gr6Bter Bedeutung,"yet be (Sokel "ProzeB"117, Sussman 41), the
considered her "eine der raitselhaftesten novel could survive without it, albeit impovaller Gestalten in Kafkas raitselhaftem erished; without the Biirstner scene,
Roman" (Tragik 251).
however, Der Prozef would lose its inner
Apart from sensing Frl. Biirstner's im- logic.2 I also hope to show that K's encounplication in K.'s "trial," from early on, too, ter with Frl. Biirstner lies at the heart of
The German Quarterly 65.1 (1992)
18
MACHE:
Kafka
his special kind of arrest (the capture of his
unconscious mind by an irrefutable sense
of guilt).3 For this reason, it should not be
at all surprising that the encounter's basic
theme, its constellation of characters, as
well as a number of motifs, reverberate
throughout the courtroom scenes. Implicitly, it will also become transparent why K's
fateful meeting with Frl. Biirstner ought to
be looked upon as the seminal event from
which all further deliberations on guilt and
innocence emanate, even though, in the
course of their unfolding, these reflections
may attain a high degree of autonomy; and,
finally, it will become evident that the reappearance of Frl. Biirstner in the final
scene, far from being an unmotivated afterthought, must be considered a masterly
stroke contributing not only to a sense of
closure but also to an enhancement of structural balance.4
II
It has often been asserted that K's selfproclaimed "assault" on Frl. Biirstner could
not pertain to his perceived feelings of guilt
because the "arrest"occurs before that incident. Such a claim, however, fails to take
into account a perception ofDer Proze/3that
has been advanced with varying degrees of
rigidity for more than forty years: namely,
that the "action"of the novel does not take
place in our empirical world but in K.'s
mind.5 If for the purpose of my thesis that
line of reasoning is being pursued, it makes
a great deal of sense that, in simplified
terms, K's pangs of conscience (portrayed
in the fictional world of Der Prozef3through
the appearance of the two warders)6 should
precede his search for the source of these
feelings.
In this search, everything seems to point
in the direction of Frl. Biirstner.7 Although
K. is "arrested" (verhaftet) in his own room,
the first confrontation with his conscience
does not take place there, but to his own
surprise in Frl. Biirstner's bedroom. It
19
appears that, as long as K is in his own
sphere, his rational self retains the upper
hand. It is not until he enters Frl. Biirstner's
room, the place associated with his perceived guilt, that a confrontation with his
conscience becomes possible.
Already in this scene, as has been observed by many a commentator, the sexual
allusions abound, from the macho gestures
of the three men with the hands on their
hips, gazingat Frl. Biirstner's photographs,
to the white blouse dangling from an open
window (T 10; P 19).8 In addition, there is
the man with the opened-up shirt collar,
towering head and shoulders above everyone, emanating, just like the three observers of Frl. Biirstner's photographs,
male self-reliance and strength, foreshadowing Lanz, the Captain, who, as will
be shown, turns out to be K's imagined rival
in his pursuit of Frl. Biirstner. During this
scene, however, K. is not yet ready to deal
with his repressed feelings. Instead, he tries
to find refuge: first, within the legal sphere
(T 12; P 22); then, within the social domain
(T 14; P 24). Not surprisingly, none of these
strategies works and the candle, one of
Kafka's recurring images, remains unlit.9
Although K. has not been able to face
the sexual issue head on, he has become
sufficiently disquieted by his "arrest" and
the proceedings in Frl. Biirstner's room so
that he cannot forget either of them. However, not until his ego is bolstered by his
landlady's faith in him (T 19; P 30) is he
ready to confront the sphere of his "guilt"
by reentering Frl. Biirstner's room. This
time, however, with the guardian of his
conscience (the Inspector) absent, all disquieting sexual allusions have disappeared. Instead, an atmosphere of serenity
prevails (T 21; P 32). Unsuspectingly,
though, K. is drawn back to his deep-seated
concern when Frau Grubach implies that
Frl. Biirstner has committed some improprieties for which she ought to be evicted so
that the rooming house can be kept respectable. It is at this point that K. loses his patience, retorting, "Die Reinheit! . . . wenn
THE GERMAN QUARTERLY
20
Sie die Pension rein erhalten wollen,
miissen Sie zuerst mir kiindigen" (T 22; P
33).10 Here, then, for the first time, K.
reveals an essential link to Frl. Biirstner:
their respective promiscuity. Although, on
the surface, K is trying to defend this young
female boarder against Frau Grubach's
suspicions, he is unwittingly implicating
himself and getting ready for a recollection
of his fateful encounter with that "ordinary
little typist" (ein kleines Schreibmaschinenfra-ulein) (T 81; P 101).
As far as the "inner logic" of Der Prozef3
is concerned, this encounter becomes the
centerpiece of the novel, its core, because it
is being replayed in ever new and ingeniously disguised variations throughout
the courtroom scenes, retaining the sexual
theme as well as the basic structural configuration of the three cardinal players: a man,
a woman, and a rival. Because of its crucial
role in later discussions, a detailed analysis
of this episode is indispensable. It should be
remembered, though, that this scene, while
retaining its fictional reality, is also taking
place in K.'s mind.11
III
What comes into focus during K.'s
meeting with Frl. Biirstner is that part of
K. which has been troublesome to him as
well as to his creator: the sensuous, animal
side of human nature.12 Already at the time
when K. is waiting for the return of Frl.
Biirstner in the dark across the hall from
her room, lying on his sofa, the door slightly
ajar, the image of an animal lurking for prey
is conjured. In addition, the reader learns
that K. is thinking about sex, deliberating
on how he can fit Elsa, the prostitute, into
his late evening schedule. When Frl. Biirstner finally appears, K's pent-up need for
immediate gratification is so intense that
he is incapable of responding to Frl. Biirstner's needs and wishes, only to his own.
During the episode that follows, Kafka
describes in detail the erotic nature of their
Winter 1992
meeting.13 There is, first of all, the gaze into
each other's eyes (T 24; P 32), later transformed into the notorious stare of desire (T
26; P 38), which rouses K. to replay in front
of Frl. Biirstner the morning events in the
presence of the Inspector. What stands out
most poignantly is K.'s reenactment of the
Inspector's long, drawn-out shriek of "Josef
K" It not only focuses everyone's attention
on K but introduces K.'s perceived rival,
Captain Lanz. Although Lanz does not
appear in person, his presence is felt
through a loud, sharp, regular knock
against the door. The significance of this
incident can hardly be overestimated, since
Frl. Biirstner turns pale and K., startled
and confused, wildly kisses her. She,
however, rejects him, not once or twice but
four times (T 27; P 40).
This episode gains in significance as
soon as it becomes evident that Kafka is
juxtaposing here the Captain's secure and
strong masculinity with K.'s awkward
sexual advances. Captain Lanz, later described as tall and tanned, moves about
with ease and self-assurance, exhibiting
relaxed urbanity (T 80; P 100), whereas K
is portrayed as paranoid, feelingthreatened
by an unknown rival to whom Frl. Biirstner
appears to be attracted. Hence, in the
course of an evening, K.'s need for female
attention and acceptance has been transformed into a compulsion to prove his masculinity.
K seems to know that he has alienated
Frl. Biirstner, since he is referring to his
aggressive conduct, albeit with a sense of
pride, as an "assault" (Uberfall) (P 41; T 28).
Besides, he is suggesting that Frl. Biirstner
use that term in her defense against possible accusations by Frau Grubach. Quite
obviously, he is eager to be perceived like
Lanz: strong, self-assured and virile. It is
during this episode that, for the third time,
the reader's attention is drawn to K.'s gaze.
This time, however, it is not reciprocated by
Frl. Biirstner. Instead, she tries to rid
herself of K. by leading him to the entrance
hall, pointing to the strip of light under-
MACHE: Kafka
21
neath the Captain's door, exclaiming: "Er totality of this experience on K (his humihat [es] angeziindet und unterhailt sich iiber liation due to rejection as well as his emuns" (P 42; T 29).
barrassment caused by the perception of an
There is no doubt in my mind that observing rival) is not acknowledged until
Kafka's use of the light symbol in con- the narrator, becoming the spokesperson
junction with the Captain is as deliberate for K.'s repressed feelings once again,
as his use of the same symbol in other parts remarks, "wegen des Hauptmanns machte
of the novel. Here, too, it is associated with er sich fiir Frl. Biirstner ernstliche Sorgen,"
enlightenment, albeit a specific kind con- (P 43; T 30). K.'s "ernstliche Sorgen,"
nected with Lanz. Lanz possesses the however, seem to have less to do with Frl.
natural, self-confident and poised sexuality Biirstner than with himself and his sense
which women like Frl. Biirstner seem to of inferiority vis-A-vis his perceived rival.
sense and like. It appears to be this kind of
affirmative eroticism
non-ambivalent,
which K. feels lacking in himself, thus proIV
voking him time and again to prove his masOnce again, it becomes apparent that
culinity. This is precisely what he is trying
to do when he rushes out into the hallway, K's overt, rational self is counteracted not
seizes Frl. Biirstner and overwhelms her. only by a covert, amoral, pleasure-seeking
Freudian id but also by the ever-restrictive,
K., according to the narrator,
Freudian super-ego which
moralizing
kiM3tesie auf den Mund und dann iiber
adheres to unattainable ideals: love, human
das ganze Gesicht, wie ein durstiges Tier
mit der Zungeuiberdas endlichgefundene
concern, and compassion. It is this side of
Quellwasser hinjagt. Schliel3lichkiiMteer
K, with its strict code of moral imperatives,
sie auf den Hals, wo die Gurgel ist, und
which demands more from him than he can
dortlieB3
er die Lippenlange liegen (P 42;T
give.14 This seems to be the reason why the
29).
sober, logical chief clerk at the Bank is
What the narrator is expressing here is haunted by his inscrutable conscience
the force of K's libidinal impulses which which is judging harshly his actions during
have taken on the urgency of a life-sustain- the encounter with Frl. Btirstner. This
ing need over which K. seems to have no seems to be the reason why K's thoughts
control. However, once he has been awak- are still "arrested" (verhaftet), i.e., preoccuened from his self-absorbed activity by a pied with everything that took place during
slight noise from the Captain's room, only those fateful evening hours. The degree to
his rational, conscious self is in charge which K. is haunted by the imagined exisagain; and this self feels nothing but relief tence of a powerful rival becomes evident
and a sense of relaxation. There are no mis- in the chapter "Die Freundin des Friiulein
givings, no articulated regrets, no pangs of Biirstner," convincingly placed as Chapter
conscience. The narrator simply informs II by a majority of Kafka scholars.15
the reader that K. "war damit zufrieden" (a
During the next few days, as K tries in
reference, apparently, to K.'s successful
every way possible to get in touch with Frl.
discharge of tension) yet, at the same time, Bilrstner in order to relieve his conscience
surprised "daB er nicht noch zufriedener from his traumatic experience by talking to
war" (P 43; T 30). To K.'s conscious mind, her, she always manages to elude him (T
then, his actions during the encounter with 74; P 93). To IK, this is devastating since it
Frl. Biirstner were nothing more than a seems to suggest his inability to hold the
simple manifestation ofan instinctual urge, interest of a woman. At first, the invisible
a corresponding action, and a resulting
Captain stood in the way of a spontaneous
gratification. However, any impact of the relationship to his female neighbor in Frau
22
THE GERMAN QUARTERLY
Grubach's rooming house, and now it is a
woman, a teacher of French named Frl.
Montag. Although Frl. Montag, in contrast
to Lanz, is drawn as being singularly unattractive (T 75; P 94), to K she, too, becomes
a rival of sorts because she is moving in with
Frl. Biirstner.16 Not surprisingly, K. senses
his failure. The only access he had to Frl.
Biirstner was a forced one. Lanz, on the
other hand, did not even have to appear in
person to make his masculine presence felt,
and Frl. Montag, simply by becoming Frl.
Biirstner's confidante in matters concerning K. (T 75; P 99), was permitted to move
in with her. No wonder that to K Lanz and
Frl. Montag appear as accomplices seeking
to bar his way to the only person who could
relieve his anxiety (T 79; P 101). No wonder
that K., by the time the chapter ends, is
described by the narrator as bad conscience
personified. Burdened by Frl. Montag's and
Captain Lanz's glances, he is moving
toward his room like a thief at night, hurriedly and keeping close to the wall (T 82;
P 102).
From this point until she reappears in
the final chapter, Frl. Biirstner is not seen
again, although she is mentioned several
times (T 98, 109; P 121, 133). Nevertheless,
she remains the dominant force in K.'s
imagination, causing him to deal in ever
new dream variations with the disconcerting events in, and in front of, her room.
However, the extraordinary degree to
which the following courtroom scenes echo
the Btirstner episode does not become apparent until they are read in terms of
Freud's dream theory.17
Kafka appears to have been familiar
with Freud's writings for at least two years
before he started working on Der Proze/3
(Wagenbach 174). Besides, he had freely
acknowledged his indebtedness to the
draftsman of the unconscious ever since his
literary breakthrough (DI 276; TA 294),
which had come about precisely because of
his newly found ability to incorporate into
his method of composition Freud's insights
into the structure of dreams (see Behar-
Winter 1992
riell's enlightening article on "Das Urteil').
It should also be remembered that during
the time of writing his novel, Kafka was
struggling to overcome his intensely ambivalent feelings towards the dissolution of
his engagement to Felice Bauer (repressed,
deep-seated feelings of guilt next to soberly
reasoned justifications) which had put his
emotional balance at risk. However, instead
of subjecting himself to outside intervention, Kafka became his own analyst. Recognizing his profound receptivity towards the
revelatory truth of dreams (LF 93; BF 165.
D2 77; TA 420), he allowed himself to let his
dream activity flow into his creative work
(LF 245; BF 367. LF 270; BF 400), achieving
what writers and visual artists have achieved since time immemorial: "im Schmerz
den Schmerz zu objektivieren" (TA 530; DI
184). Under these circumstances, a psychoanalytic dream analysis must be considered
essential in trying to understand a writer
who, in present-dayjargon, would certainly
be labeled a "Freudian."18
V
In the first replay of the Btirstner scene,
Kafka uses one of the most prevalent dream
techniques: free association. Without any
apparent motivation, he has K. ask for a
'"joiner"(Tischler) by the name of Lanz.19
Almost immediately, the doors to the courtroom fly open. Thus, K.'s evocation of the
name of his perceived rival has put him in
touch with his inner court. After that, everything that unfolds before his inner eye is
strangely reminiscent of the original B irstner episode, from the constellation of characters to the course of action. The only discernible difference lies in a new setting (a
courtroom), a different time-sequence of the
events, and a heightened intensity.
There is, first of all, K.'s obvious attraction to a woman "m'nit
schwarzen, leuchtenden Augen" (P 51; T 37). In addition, there
is IK's retelling of the story of his arrest (T
43; P57) as well as the heartrending shriek,
MACHE:Kafka
emitted by a man (T 46; P 61). And then,
there is the male rival. This time, however,
he is not just perceived as K.'s competitor
but openly acts like one, clasping the
woman in his arms (T 46; P 61). Even more
revealing is a passage that Kafka later
deleted (T 259; P 306), and in which, as
during K.'s first stay in Frl. Biirstner's
room, a blouse plays an important role.
Here, however, the garment is not simply
dangling from a latch at the window, but
becomes an integral part of an actual erotic
encounter between a man and a woman (T
259; P 306). Is K here, through the actions
of the unrestrained male, acting out his own
repressed sexual impulses? If so, this
episode could be looked upon as a classical
case of Freudian "projection," a defense
mechanism in which unacceptable feelings
are simply transferred to someone else.
The next episode, too, deals with the
Biirstner affair in terms of Freudian transferal mechanisms. This time, however,
action has been replaced by apicture. What
can be seen in the illustration of one of the
law books is a man and a woman sitting
naked on a sofa (T 52; P 67). An "obscene
intention" (gemeine Absicht), however, is
not imputed to the man on the sofa, but to
the "draftsman" (Zeichner) of the picture,
exonerating the depicted male, and by extension exonerating K. Through another
shift in emphasis, however, K'sjudgingself
is reasserting itself when the narrator describes the awkward and frustrating pose
in which the man and the woman find themselves (T 52; P 67). By portraying the
absence of any communication between the
depicted couple, K. is reminding himself,
once more, of the awkward situation in front
of Frl. Biirstner's room. Nevertheless, as
mentioned earlier, the responsibility for the
man's lustful yet awkward pose is not
ascribed to the man in the picture, but to
the draftsman. Thus, for the first time, the
motif of the guilty creator is used, a motif
that is going to recur in many more guises
until, at the end of the novel, it culminates
in K's open attack on an unseen mighty
23
"he," a metaphysical power which is held
responsible for a human deficiency so powerful that it has unsettled the whole of
human existence (T 228; P 271).
K.'s transferal mechanism is also at
workwhen he sights the title page ofa novel,
"Die Plagen, welche Grete von ihrem
Manne Hans zu erleiden hatte" (P 67; T 52).
Here, too, a woman is "plagued" by a man
who is trying to take possession of her. In
contrast to the previous episode, however,
K is putting the blame for the unsuccessful
encounter squarely upon the man, revealing once more his own feelings of guilt concerning the fateful encounter with Frl.
Bilrstner.
K's inventiveness in dealing with his
feelings of guilt seems to be without limits
as he arrives at ever new variations of the
original Biirstner theme. In the subsequent
sketch, K.'s notorious gaze is projected onto
a woman who tries to attract K by saying:
"Sie haben schdne dunkle Augen" (P 67; T
52). And in complete keeping with that role
reversal, it is no longer a woman who is
"plagued" by a man, but a man who is
"plagued" by a woman (T 52; P 68). By
having transferred his own role in the
Biirstner encounter to an imaginary
woman, it is now the woman who becomes
the initiator in the man-woman relationship, and the man the grateful respondent,
"auch Sie gefallen mir gut, besonders wenn
sie mich wiejetzt so traurig ansehen" (P 68;
T 53). But then, as if his wish fulfillments
could not be sustained, K.'s unconscious
reverts to the original, fateful constellation
in front of Frl. Biirstner's room with an insecure male, a passive female, and an assertive rival. This rival appears in the guise
of a student named Berthold. Not surprisingly, he is introduced in the same manner
as Lanz in Chapter I: through the startled
response of a woman who notices someone
watching her (T 56; P 71). In contrast to the
Biirstner scene, however, in which the rival
was only mentioned as a force to be reckoned with, the student here appears in
person, communicating with the woman
24
THE GERMAN QUARTERLY
through sign language (T 56; P 72). In addition, the reaction of the woman to the rival
gains in intensity. Whereas Frl. Biirstner
was merely upset and turned pale when
Lanz knocked against the door, the woman
in this scene feels compelled to depart with
the rival, leaving K. behind.
In the continuation of this episode,
however, a gratifying scene of wish fulfillment is evoked. Right after K.'s worst fears,
those of being abandoned by a woman in
favor of a rival, have materialized, he
creates a situation in which he is found to
be irresistible. Hence, we hear the same
woman exclaim: "Aber ich komme gleich
zuriick, und dann gehe ich mit Ihnen... ich
gehe, wohin Sie wollen, Sie k6nnen mit mir
tun, was Sie wollen" (P 72; T 56). This turn
of events gives K.'s weak ego such a boost
that he is ready to reciprocate, a fact which
the narrator is only too eager to report (T
56; P 72); and while K. expresses his willing
submission to this woman's advances, he
fantasizes that eventually he himself would
wrest her from his rival. One day, so he
muses, the Examining Magistrate would
simply wake up and find her bed empty
"weil sie K. geh irte ..., durchaus nur K."
(P 73; T 56).
In spite of having created so pleasant a
dream fantasy, the unresolved Bi6rstner experience still seems to act as an agent of
interference. No wonder, then, that the
pleasant scene of wish fulfillment is abruptly destroyed as Berthold reasserts himself
by putting his arms around the woman,
kissing her loudly on the throat (T 57; P 73).
Through the motif of the throat kissing, associated with K.'s aggressive behavior in
the Biirstner scene, this episode appears as
a classical case of role reversal. There is an
interesting twist, however, since subsequently the roles of aggressor and rival
are joined, in Berthold as well as in K. As
Berthold assumes the role of the rival who
tries to elope with the woman, K. confronts
him by giving battle (T 58; P 47). In the
ensuing altercations over the woman,
however, the student wins out by lifting her
Winter 1992
up and carrying her off. Once more, then,
K's anxiety concerning his inability to hold
on to a woman has reestablished itself.
Although K's unconscious struggle with
the Biirstner encounter seems to be omnipresent, his conscious dealings with the
affair are almost nonexistent. This becomes
evident when K evokes a meeting with his
uncle. The latter is eager to know everything about his nephew's case in order to
assist him in his defense. It is at this point
that K, according to the narrator, "begann
sofort zu erzihlen, ohne irgend etwas zu
verschweigen" (P 121; T 98). But immediately after this ostensible "Offenheit," Frl.
Bilrstner's name is mentioned in a manner
that leads the reader to suspect K.'sattempt
at camouflaging the tracks of his guilt:
Frl. Biirstners Namen erwihnte er nur
einmal und fliichtig, aber das beeintrichtigte nicht die Offenheit,denn Fraiulein Biirstner stand mit dem ProzeB in
keiner Verbindung(P 121;T 98).
One has to remember that often the
reportingofKafka's narrator reflects not only
K.'s genuine feelings
but also his
rationalizations and subterfuges. For this
reason, his double mentioning of Frl.
Biirstner, coupled with his protestations of
her non-involvement in K's case, cannot but
be taken as a grand effort on K's part at
obliterating his feelings of guilt.20
If, duringthe previous scene, K. was able
to evoke, if fleetingly only, a woman figure
attracted to him, then the Huld-Leni
episode could be seen as a felicitous continuation and intensification of that kind of
dream projection. Gone now are the scenes
of strife and anxiety, and in their place is
evoked a lawyer whose name (Huld)
denotes kindness, clemency, and benevolence, together with Leni, a healing,
comfort-giving nurse. For the first time, K
seems to have screened out the sternest
judge of his inner court, and summoned
(instead of an unresponsive, rejecting Frl.
Biirstner) a female figure of wish fulfillment. The conscience, then, which once had
MACHA:Kafka
been taken over by its own demons, has now
managed to call forth its own healing
powers.21
The nurse in this scenario is everything
Friulein Biirstner was not. She, not K, initiates the relationship by asking him to call
her by her first name; and K, comfortable
and at ease with that offer, does not feel
compelled to play the macho as he had done
with Frl. Biirstner when boasting about his
'"Uberfall."Here, he is ready to admit to not
being in the least a bold young man, "sondern eher schiichtern" (P 131; T 107); and
Leni, by being the "aggressor," makes it
easy for K. to respond to her. When she
advises him to confess to guilt (T 108; P132),
K shows his receptivity by lifting her up
onto his knee; and she, unlike Frl. Bilrstner,
does not resist such a move toward intimacy
but makes herself at home on his lap. It is
at this point that K. enjoys precisely those
features of her which are most dissimilar to
Frl. Biirstner: her warm feelings toward
him as well as her undisguised femininity
(T 109; P 133).
Another attempt at greater intimacy is
also initiated by Leni when she reveals her
slight physical defect: a connecting web of
skin between her middle fingers. K, enamored by her freakish connection to the
animal kingdom, responds by playing with
and finally kissing it; and Leni, as once
before, shows delight, not repulsion; and in
a gesture of intensified reciprocity, she bites
and kisses K on his neck until her pleasure
becomes utter elation and she shouts out:
sehen Sie,
"Sie haben mich eingetauscht!...
Sie haben mich eingetauscht!" (P 135; T
111).And when K is tryingto hold Leni back
while she, "mit einem kleinen Schrei,"
slides toward the floor, she pulls him down
with her, saying:. "Jetzt geh6rst du mir" (P
135; T 111).
Through Leni's imperceptible change
from the formal "Sie"to the more intimate
'"Du,"she now expresses precisely that kind
of affection which hadbeenso sorely lacking
during K.'s involvement with Frl. Biirstner.
In addition, Leni's faint cry of erotic en-
25
chantment has replaced K's original shriek
of agitation which had resulted in Frl.
Biirstner's eventual rejection of him; and,
finally, Leni's kisses of abandon, ending
with her biting of K's neck and hair, have
successfully supplanted the fateful kisses
forced on Frl. Biirstner's neck and throat.
In this way, K's feelings of rejection and
guilt, stemming from the Biirstner episode,
have now been transformed into a felicitous
experience of acceptance. Surely, only in a
writer thoroughly familiar with Freud's
dream concepts would one encounter such
a classical example of projection and role
reversal.22
From episodes like these, it would be
tempting to deduce that Kafka is preparing
his protagonist for overcoming his "arrest,"
his deeply entrenched preoccupation with
the Biirstner affair. This, however, is not
the case, as becomes evident from the narrator's remark: "Das Verhliltnis zu Frl.
Biirstner schien entsprechend dem ProzeB
zu schwanken" (P 152; T 126). And indeed,
when K during his last visit to Dr. Huld (he
wants to take his case out of the lawyer's
hands) encounters another defendant, the
tradesman Block, the Biirstner episode
emerges again. This happens when Block
tells K. that during the court proceedings
things are always coming up which are
beyond reason (T 174; P 209), e.g., the "superstition" (Aberglaube), "daflviele aus dem
Gesicht des Angeklagten, insbesondere aus
der Zeichnung der Lippen, denAusgang des
Prozesses erkennen wollen" (P 210; T 174).
At that point, Block identifies K as someone
who would be found guilty, simply by
judging from the expression of his lips (T
174; P 210). This reference to K's lips, made
six times in short succession, seems to serve
as a reminder to K as well as to the reader
that the fateful kissing incident in front of
Frl. Biirstner's room has not yet been forgotten.
During that same chapter, another
motif reappears: that of the rival. This
occurs when Leni, to K's chagrin, bestows
her favors on Block and on Huld alternately,
26
THE GERMAN QUARTERLY
letting her eroticism reign supreme whenever the right situation arises. Once more,
then, triangulated patterns (a man, a
woman, and a rival) reappear, and once
again, correspondences to the Biirstner
scene with courtroom counterparts emerge.
However, in a strange reversal of those
former scenes, it is now a man (K.) who tries
to rid himself of a woman (Leni), and a
woman (Leni) who chases after a man (K.),
trying to grab his arm and haul him back.
So, once again, a classical case of dream
transference is being played out before our
very eyes as the woman becomes the
pursuer, and the man the pursued; and in
a curious reverberation of the assault motif,
it is now a woman (Leni) who is "pestering"
a man (K.), and a man (K) who feels compelled coldly to reject a woman (Leni). It is
at this point, however, that Huld intervenes
in a mild-mannered way, somehow trying
to defend the actions of his nurse by explaining a "peculiarity" (Sonderbarkeit) of hers,
namely: "daBLeni die meistenAngeklagten
sch*n findet. Sie haingt sich an alle, liebt
alle, scheint allerdings auch von allen
geliebt zu werden" (P 221; T 183). Huld,
apparently, wants to convey the thought
that even though women like Leni may be
too overwhelming, their actions, nonetheless, are anchored in their very nature. At
the same time, though, Huld's disclosure
implies that women with Leni's strong and
brazen sensuality are simply drawn to men
that sexually are shy, and reticent, and insecure. Although K., as so often in situations
like this, remains silent, he registers his
false assumptions about women. Yet, as his
memories of delight (when meeting Leni
first) still act as a force of interference in
the formation of his newly emerging insights, he cannot yet let go completely of the
notion that help from women might free
him from his plight. That is the reason why
he still, after the priest has sternly admonished him that such help is not "die wahre
Hilfe," can retort:
Winter 1992
Manchmalund sogar 6fter kinnte ich dir
rechtgeben... abernicht immer... Wenn
ich einige Frauen, die ich kenne, dazu bewegen k6nnte, gemeinschaftlichfiir mich
zu arbeiten, miiBte ich durchdringen (P
253; T 211).
And indeed, to one woman K will "penetrate" once more. Although the original encounter with her will not play a significant
role any longer, Frl. Biirstner herself will
surface again, this time in an almost redemptive function.
VI
If the novel's inner logic is, indeed,
linked to the Biirstner affair, then one
should expect Frl. Biirstner to play a part
in the final, the punishment chapter. This,
as we know, is the case. Indeed, without her
evocation at the end of the novel, the inner
logic, upheld so unwaveringly throughout
the courtroom scenes, would have suffered.23
Significantly, at precisely the instant at
which K. (he is walking in unison with the
two warders towards his place of execution)
attempts to resist the newly felt harmony
with his conscience, Frl. Biirstner appears,
moving upward from a low-lying side street
in the direction of a freer, more spacious
area towards which K also is walking (T
225; P 268).24 To K., an irrefutable identification of this figure as Frl. Biirstner is not
important, only the effect which this figure,
believed to be Frl. Biirstner, has upon him.
It is at this point that Kafka has his protagonist recognize the futility of his resistance,
thereby suggesting that it only took the recollection of the person associated with his
original feelings of guilt to accept his own
culpability.
It seems that the energy released
through this kind of admission is so intense
that it now enables K. to initiate a walk in
the direction of Frl. Bilrstner; and the narrator, functioning as an interpreter of K's
actions once more, reveals why K. is doing
MACHi: Kafka
it: in order not to forget "die Mahnung, die
sie fUr ihn bedeutete" (P 268; T 225). This
"admonition" (Mahnung) seems to be
directed to one of K's character traits, his
impatience,25 of which he is now becoming
aware: "Ich wollte immer mit zwanzig
Hiinden in die Welt hineinfahren und iiberdies zu einem nicht zu billigenden Zweck"
(P 269; T 225). As so often before, Kafka is
careful not to mention the incident which
brought about K.'s sense of guilt; nevertheless, by having his protagonist confess to
uncontrollable impulses, K.'s actions during the Biirstner scene are conjured up once
more. This time, however, K. is not pushing
back any longer his misgivings concerning
that incident. Instead, he reveals a degree
of self-knowledge which enables him to
confess: "Das war unrichtig" (P 269; T 225).
For the first time during his one year "trial,"
K is in close touch with the messengers of
his conscience. No wonder that the narrator
now evokes an image of serenity as well as
that of a passage over a divide when he
calmly reports: "Alle drei zogen nun in
vollem Einverstaindnis fiber die Briicke im
Mondschein" (P 269; T 226).
Had the novel ended here, the pathetic
fallacy would have absorbed and covered up
all of K's subliminal reservations concerning the larger question ofphilosophica 1guilt
and original sin and would have brought
about a conciliatory end, achieved at the
price of verity. Kafka, however, remained
true to himself, expressing his feelings of
ambivalence towards the question of ultimate guilt once more by having K refuse
to seize the knife from the warders and kill
himself. Once again, then, Kafka has his
protagonist question the authority of his
conscience and blame his creator for his inability to act (T 228; P 271);26and once again,
Kafka addresses the dilemma of a human
being, incapable of accepting in good faith
the full responsibility for an action which
has so grievously entangled him in guilt.
Hence, the question of ultimate guilt comes
once more into full play, and, not surprisingly, in conjunction with a figure reminiscent
27
of Frl. Biirstner.27
Although Kafka does not identify her as
such, circumstantial evidence as well as
narrative structure point in her direction.
She is, after all, apart from K, the only
person in this chapter mentioned by name,
and that not just once but three times.
Besides, she is the figure who has previously been seen as moving "upward"
(empor) towards the square (T 225; P 268),
and, later on, continuing her walk into a
side street (T 226; P 269). Surely, Kafka
could hardly have prepared his readers
better for her fleeting reappearance in the
window of a house adjoining the quarry,
looking "schwach und diinn in der Ferne
und H6he" (P 272; T 228). As K's longing
for redemption appears to have shut out all
other thoughts, it certainly is plausible that
to him the individual behind it all is immaterial by now. No wonder, then, that at the
moment during which a figure is evoked a
second time, her name is never mentioned.
Yet, analogous to Frl. Biirstner's first appearance, this figure leaning forward from
an open window with arms stretched out in
the direction of K. has all the features of a
dream projection generated by K's imagination. Nevertheless, K's faith in such a
gesture of forgiveness by the person he
ostensibly had wronged appears to vanish
just as fast as it has risen; and as his mind,
in true Kafkaen fashion, shifts its doubtful
hopes in short succession from the dissolving figure to a friend, a good human being,
a someone who might empathize (and
finally to all of humankind), the various invocations remain mere questions hanging
in the air.
Thus, in the end, K's unforgiving conscience stubbornly refuses any form of redemption; instead, it doggedly lets stand
the final verdict: death.28 K, by accepting
his guilt, is submitting to the priest in
himself, that powerful, idealized, authoritarian figure which defies dissent and demands that for the purpose of social stability traditional concepts of guilt and
punishment be upheld, whether or not they
28
THE GERMAN QUARTERLY
can be accepted as true. Although K. considers such a dictum a melancholy conclusion, because it turns lying into a universal
principle: "Die Liige wird zur Weltordnung
gemacht" (P 264; T 220), he does not possess
the inner strength to dissociate himself
from a notion so deeply embedded in his
own judging self.29
Perhaps it is not surprising that Kafka,
at the age of thirty-one, had to arrive at this
particular ending: he was not yet able to
disengage himself from his own authoritarian upbringing. By the time he was working
on his last great stories (1922-24), however,
he had attained a degree of inner freedom
which did not compel him any longer to
"punish" his protagonists.30
Although, in the end, Kafka has Joseph
K submit to his powerful conscience and,
hence, to generally accepted social mores,31
it appears that he wanted such an end to be
perceived as a disgrace, an outright humiliation, since his protagonist dies "wie ein
Hund" (P 272; T 229), in utter subservience
to a master (his conscience) who first put
him under "arrest" and then condemned
him to death. In addition, he has K feel
oppressed by the thought that "the shame"
(die Schande) might outlive him. Whether
"die Schande" refers to the Biirstner affair,
the incident that set into motion the whole
"trial,"or to K.'s betrayal of his rational self
or, in a general way, to the ignoble end of a
sensitive and questioning, albeit self-absorbed human being, is hard to say.32 But
it can be said that Kafka, by having his
protagonist submit to his own execution,
attempted to bring to some kind of closure
a guilt-ridden experience that was in the
process of consuming his life.33
Seen in this light, Der Proze/3, far from
being devoid of content and meaning, seems
to represent Kafka's attempt at giving artistic expression to the inner dynamics of a
human being weighted down by an irrepressible sense of guilt. Through subtly
camouflaged motivic allusions as well as
ingeniously disguised replays of the triggering incident, Kaflka has given eloquent
Winter 1992
testimony to the psychological mechanisms
which human beings employ when dealing
with feelings of ineradicable guilt. Readers
may find in this facet of Der Proze/pone of
the novel's universal applications as well as
Kafka's unique '"logic"of composition.
Notes
1Tosome commentators,perceptions ofcontent
or meaning in conjunctionwith Kafka'soeuvre
have becomesuspect.Instead,they believe that
"the power of Kafka's work consists in the many
ways it suggests that literature can function
withoutmeaning"(Corngoldx), or,in Rolleston's
words,that "withKafka,the few certaintieswe
have all point away from themselves toward that
ultimate categoryof Truth,which Kafkanames
but to which he refuses to assign content"
("Modernism"59). I do not share that view; neither
do Kobs (56-64), Hiebel (12), Robertson(90),
Abraham (11), Brombert (396), and many others.
Tome, Milan Kundera'sassessment of the modern
novel: that it "examines primarily the enigma of
existence" (35) seems to come much closer to
Kafka's artistic intent. Besides, it appears that
Kafka himself would have supported our view. His
commentary concerning the story that brought
abouthis literarybreakthrough
couldjustas easily
be appliedto his mostfamousnovel,"undhitte sie
nicht innereWahrheit..., sie wire nichts"(BF
156; LF 87). "InnereWahrheit,"however,can
neitherbe meaninglessnor,in the realmoffiction,
findexpressionwithout"content."
2Kafkawas not oblivious to compositional
structure. During the winter of 1914, when
he enteredinto his diary:
workingon DerProze/p,
"Anfangjeder Novelle zunichst licherlich. Es
scheint hoffnungslos, daf3dieser neue, noch unfer-
tige, iiberallempfindlicheOrganismusin der fertigen Organisationder Welt sich wird erhalten
kinnen.... Allerdingsvergif3tmanhierbei,daBdie
Novelle,falls sie berechtigtist, ihre fertigeOrganisation in sich trigt, auch wenn sie sich noch
nicht ganz entfaltethat"(TA450 [myemphasis];
D2 104).Here,then, Kafkaseems to be pointing
towardsan organizingprinciple
that hasto dowith
an "inner"logic rather than an external progres-
sion of events, a psychologicalinfrastructure
rather than an outwardlyrecognizabletectonic
design.Kafka'swell-knowndiaryentry in which
he explainshis task as a writerin termsof a "DarstellungmeinestraumhafteninnernLebens"(TA
MACHi: Kafka
420; D2 77) appears to point in the same direction.
Cf. Beil3ner's concern, voiced already in the late
1960s, that a great number of critics had failed to
see "die kardinale Bedeutung dieses Zeugnisses,
seinen aufschlieBenden Wert ffir das Kafka-Verstindnis" (Darstellung 12).
3Morethan a decade ago, the question of"specific guilt" was raised when Heller commented,
"K.'ssin must be a particular one, even if it is rooted
in the universal one" (95). However, Heller was
unable to find "within the world of The
...
rial
sufficient psychological cause" (99). Beicken,
from
a different perspective, pointed in the same direction: "Solange aber die Kafkaschen Hauptgestalten als Vertreter der 'menschlichen Situation
schlechthin' verstanden werden, geht man am geschichtlichen Ort der Erzmhlweisevorbei"(285). I
seem to be siding with I. Henel who, in her pioneering article of 1967, suggested that the world of The
Thial be seen as a reflection and projection of the
protagonist, and then added: "Um eine Reflexion
und Projektion des Helden sein zu k6nnen, muB3
etwas dasein, was ihn reflektiert, ein 'Schirm,'auf
den er sein Inneres projizieren kann" ("Deutbarkeit" 257). This "screen,"however, she could not
detect. According to my reading, it would be supplied by the Biirstner encounter.
4The question of compositional design, in particular the importance of dealing with the hidden
structures of Der Prozefp,has been recognized by
commentators from early on (Allemann 290), yet
this quest has gone every which way, due in part
to a failure to define the term "structure."Politzer,
e.g., already sensed that Kafka's compositional
design had something to do with the two planes,
the conscious and the unconscious, along which
K.'s mind was moving (173). However, as soon as
he talked about the novel's "originality of design"
or '"unityof structure," he did not refer to these
specific, identifiable structural elements, but to an
idea: Kafka's "projected vision of punishment"
(163). Sokel, similarly, noticed from early on the
"Szenenstruktur eines qulilenden Traumes"
(Tragik 157) in conjunction with the courtroom
scenes, yet did not isolate any specific dream structures. That became the merit of Beharriell in his
commentary on "DasUrteil" (30). Under the influence of reader response theory,tectonic design was
seen "in den beiden Aspekten K.'s als Lesensollender und als Gelesener" (Sokel "Programme"116),
whereas the psychoanalytically-oriented commentary perceived the determining structural strands
as the "Widerspruchvon Sicherheit und Unsicherheit, von Selbstbehauptung und Schuldgefiihl, be-
29
wuBtem und unbewuBtem Diskurs" (Hiebel 180).
In my approachto the question of structure, I was
guided by Uyttersprot's ('Kein Ende" 186) and
Allemann's conviction (266) that Kafka's intent
cannot have been a "fragmentarisches Aufbauprinzip." In addition, I was encouraged by Rolleston's observation that Kafka's "narrative
structures, far from resisting interpretation
through the mystery at their center, urge us to
dissect them, to speculate on the more enigmatic
links in the tight fictional chain" (1).
5Such a reading surfaced already in the 1950s
(BeiB3nerErzdhler 39) and early 1960s (Pongs 37,
Politzer 163) and gained momentum in the late
1960s through Neumann's suggestion that the
novel be understood as a "Denkprozef3,"
presented
from the protagonist'spoint of view (722). I. Henel
suggested that Kafka's narrative world would
become comprehensible only if perceived "als eine
innere Realitiit" ("Deutbarkeit"251). Today, it is
primarily the exclusivity of this view which is
being contested, not its partial validity. For this
reason, most scholars would see the extraordinary
effect of the novel as lying neither in an uncanny
representation of the nightmarish aspects of our
empirical reality, nor in an exclusive portrayal of
K.'s dreamlike reflections, but in the narrative's
unprecedented interplay between a quasi-empirical world and the strangely heightened perceptions of the protagonist. For a number of critics,
however, this "interplay"is primarily seen as the
constant movement between K.'s conscious and an
unconscious self (Sokel Thagik110, Robertson 106,
Kunz 44, Hiebel 180).
6it is the merit of Winkelman to have given
ample proof that the court in its many manifestations may be seen as "nothing other than the conscience of Joseph K." (321). In addition, he has
identified convincingly the fictional representations ofK.'s conscience (321-32). Although commentators have touched upon such a perception of
the court from early on (Emrich 264, Politzer 173,
Binder 123), it was never spelled out in such detail.
Cf. Abraham, who notes that K. wears himself out
"im Kampf gegen das Gericht. Das ist fiberhaupt
nur zu begreifen, wenn man sich klarmacht, daI3
dieses Gericht sein Schuldgefiihl repriisentiert"
(162).
7Inthis connection, a word about Kafka'screation of fictional characters is called for. Only those
figures who seem to have played a decisive role in
K.'s past, such as Frl. Biirstner, Frau Grubach,
Captain Lanz and Fr~iulein Montag (and, to a
lesser degree, Uncle Karl and the Manufacturer)
30
THE GERMANQUARTERLY
can be comparedto lifelike personae in traditional
works of narrative fiction. The others, belonging
exclusively to the imaginary realm of K.'s mind,
fall into two categories. They are either aspects of
K.'s conscience and assume fictional reality as
warders, inspectors, investigating magistrates,
judges, and the chaplain-priest (Winkelman 32132); or they are dream variants of real characters,
confronting K. in such figures as the Washerwoman, Leni, Berthold, or the Whipper. When
such distinctions are not made, questionable conclusions can easily be reached. With regard to the
Washerwoman and Leni, e.g., Beck is convinced
that Kafka "asks us to accept these as real representations of ourselves" (5). However, we know
from Kafka's commentary on "Das Urteil" that
figures like the friend in Russia or Frieda Brandenfeld were not intended to stand for "real"
people. "Der Freund ist kaum eine wirkliche
Person, er ist vielleicht eher das, was dem Vater
und Georg gemeinsam ist" (BF 396-97; LF 267).
With regard to Frieda, Kafka speaks of "dieBraut,
die in der Geschichte nur durch die Beziehung zum
Freund, also zum Gemeinsamen, lebt"(TA296; DI
278). See also Kurz's enlightening commentary:
"Die fremde Figur ist das Verdrfingte,Abgespaltene des Eigenen, das was man an und in sich selbst
nicht eingestehen will und doch eingestehen
m6chte"(187). Cf. also Sokel's stress on the "Funktionscharakter" of Kafka's figures, in particular
women
251-55).
(Tragik
8Cf. the pejorative, destructive sexual reference to "irgendeine ausgesuchte Bluse," made by
Kafka's fictionalized father in the famous letter to
his progenitor (H 213; DF 187).
9Whether it is the candle on the desk of the
Inspector which remains unlit when K. is unable
to face the truth as yet (T 11; P 20), or the dying
down of the light in K.'s lamp once he has become
ignorant of his whereabouts in the cathedral (T
221; P 264); whether it is the light of a candle by
which Huld is reading (T 183; P 220), the mentioning of the many sources of light when K. enters the
cathedral (T 204; P 245), or the extinguishing of
the candles on the high altar once it has become
apparent that K. is unwilling to take responsibility
forhis actions (T 211; P 254): time and again, Kafka
uses unabashedly this conventional symbol of enlightenment and truth.
10Politzer put his finger on the essential
problem of K.'s situation when commenting:.
"[Since] a traumatic spot has been touched in his
unconscious, ... K uses whatever conscious energies he possesses to push back and suppress his
Winter1992
misgivings about himself" (173).
11The multifaceted quality of Kafka's writing
originates, to be sure, from a great number of
sources. In my commentary, however, emphasis
will be placed primarily on the psychological component. Kafka, thoroughly familiar with Freudian
theory (Wagenbach 174), understood that the ego
is capable of splitting itself during a number of its
functions into an acting and an observing self
(Freud Lectures 58-60), an insight which he so
masterfully incorporated into the narrative style
ofDerProzef3.In later writings, e.g., "DerBau,"he
revealed the multifaceted quality of his narrative
perspective much more overtly when he had his
nocturnal animal watch at the entrance of his habitation and muse: "Mirist dann, als stehe ich nicht
vor meinem Haus, sondern vor mir selbst,
wfihrend ich schlafe, und hitte das Gliick, gleichzeitig tief zu schlafen und dabei mich scharfbewachen zu k6nnen"(BK 183; CS 334). How revealing
a Kafka text can become when Freud's understanding of the human psyche (Lectures57-80) is
applied to otherwise enigmatic narratives becomes
apparent in Reh'sexemplary interpretation of"Der
Steuermann," or Asher's convincing commentary
on "Ein Landarzt"(59-89). If Armstrong'scriteria
for the validity of a reading (inclusiveness, intersubjectivity,and efficacy) are rigorously applied to
Freudian interpretations of this kind, they are
passing the test with flying colors (346-47).
12Kafka'sunambiguously negative appraisal
ofthe sensuous world as "dasB6se"seems to reveal
his own inability to integrate into the self this
aspect of human nature (H 44; DF 39).
13Understandably, this meeting between K.
and Frl. Bfirstner has been subjected to feminist
criticism. In her lucid, thought-provoking discussion of Kafka's women figures, Beck convincingly
points out that "the angle of vision in Kafka'stexts
is necessarily androcentric," and that for this
reason the male eye never sees "the 'person'of a
woman, but always the body or part of a body"(4).
One of her examples is K.'s encounter with Frl.
Biirstner. Beck, in her implied criticism of Kafka's
chauvinistic attitude towards women, fails to see,
however, that Kafka did not feel at all comfortable
with such a mind-set. That is precisely why he had
his protagonist's perception of his lack of involvement with the 'person' in Frl. Bfirstner set into
motion K.'s self-inflicted trial. Cf. also Pawel's appraisal ofKafka's disposition towards women: "He
never shared the mordant, pseudo-urbane if sometimes elaborately masked contempt for women
that afflicted most of the men in his circle, and in
MACHE: Kafka
later years he became even more overtly critical of
these fashionable attitudes" (84).
14For an elucidation of the Freudian egostates, see Freud's New Introductory Lectures on
Psychoanalysis 57-80.
15Althoughthe definitive American Schocken
edition still retains Max Brod's original chapter
chronology, placing "Die Freundin des Fraulein
Biirstner" as Chapt. IV, Uyttersprot's suggestion
that it be put after Chapt. I (Neuordnung 10-12,
29, 35; "KeinEnde" 175, 179, 185) is by now generally accepted (Elema 301).
16Ashas often been observed, the lesbian allusions can hardly be missed, especially as Frl.
Montag is shown as constantly forgetting some
"underwear"(Wischestiick) when trailing through
the entrance hall with her belongings (P 99; T 79).
17In his Interpretation of Dreams (1900), in
particular Chapts. VI and VII, Freud spelled out
for the first time the intricate dynamics of dream
encoding and decoding. His last and most succinct
treatment of the subject can be found in New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis (1933),
especially lectures 29 and 31. Beharriell identifies
the most important components of Kafka's"entirely new technique" as "a deliberate cultivation of a
free-association
process ...
, employment of mul-
tiple meanings for the same dream-figure, role reversal, and a cast of characters representing
aspects of the dreamer's (that is the author's)personality, rather than 'real'characters in the traditional sense" ("Urteil"30).
18Kafka'smuch-quoted "Zumletzten Mal Psychologie"(H 51; DF 45), crossed out, by the way, in
the ms. by Kafka himself, at times interpreted as
his unconditional disavowal of Freudian theory
(Corngold 301), ought to be taken as his rejection
of long-term therapeutic claims of psychoanalysis
only (LM 217; BM 188. Ryan 160), not, however,
as a denial of Freud'stheories concerningthe inner
workings of the human psyche. Cf. Kafka's entry
into his Fourth Octavo Notebook (H 122; DF 100),
used as a motto for this study.
19Froma Freudian point of view, the name of
K.'s rival, Lanz (used here ten times in short succession), has to betaken as a sexual allusion (lance,
spear, tournaments), especially when considering
Kafka's own comments (borderingat times on the
ludicrous, DI1 279; TA 297) concerning the choice
of names for his fictional characters.
20Freudreminds us that the work ofinterpreting dreams is carried out against varying degrees
of resistance on the part of the analysand. Not infrequently, "a portion of a dream is omitted and
31
added afterwards as an addendum. This is to be
regarded as an attempt to forget that portion. Experience shows that it is that particular piece
which is the most important"(Lectures 14).
21Politzer (and a great number of critics after
him) has contended that K does not undergo any
development. This may be true, traditionally
speaking. However, there can be little doubt that
by the time the novel ends, K.'sawareness concerning his own situation has increased considerably;
yet, as every new approachthrough which K had
hoped better to understand the underlying "Law"
of his "arrest"eliminated only another venue of
questioning, his insights attain a strangely negative quality. Cf. also aphorism 27: "Das Negative
zu tun ist uns noch auferlegt, das Positive ist uns
schon gegeben" (H 42; DF 36-37). Rolleston's understanding that K "knows less and less about
himself as the novel goes on" (Narrative Theater
85) is not quite convincingto me. Through all of his
encounters, be they with the Uncle or the Manufacturer, with Huld, Titorelli, or the Priest, K. not
only learns how they perceive his "case,"but also
in which way their perception differs from his.
Surely, such a process implies an increase in
knowledge. Kafka'sdiary entry of October 1, 1917,
seems to point in the same direction, namely, that
his ultimate goal in life is the attainment of an ever
increasing fund of knowledge:"Wennich mich auf
mein Endziel hin pruife,so ergibt sich, da13ich nicht
eigentlich danach strebe, ein guter Mensch zu
werden und einem hachsten Gericht zu entsprechen, sondern, sehr gegensltzlich, die ganze Menschen- und Tiergemeinschaft zu iiberblicken,ihre
grundlegenden Vorlieben, Wiinsche, sittlichen
Ideale zu erkennen" (TA 534; D2 188). Nevertheless, the dilemma which arises from pursuing this
"finalgoal"is a real one, an issue most convincingly
treated by Pondrom in her study "Kafkaand Phenomenology:Joseph K.'s Search for Information."
22It is noteworthy in this context that recent
studies concerning the attitudes of men towards
their traditional sexual role as aggressor have uncovered a degree of anxiety and ambivalence heretofore unknown. A majority of those questioned
freely stated that they would prefer to assume the
traditionally passive female role. They openly admitted to having experienced, at one time or
another, considerable feelings ofanxiety, primarily
due to fear of rejection. Kafka, apparently, would
have concurredwith these findings since he did not
create a single female characterthat belongs to the
"accused."Bearing in mind these latest insights
into male sexuality, Kafka'screation ofafigurelike
32
THE GERMAN QUARTERLY
Leni is not surprising at all. What is remarkable,
however, is his tackling of so touchy a subject
almost eighty years ago. Whether this may have
contributed to Kafka's adamant refusal to have
Der Prozef published during his lifetime is a
matter of pure conjecture.However, it may just be
possible that the laying bare of so intense a preoccupation with his own sexuality may have been
considered an unacceptable indiscretion to even so
unabashed a narcissist as Kafka.
23My stress on the "inner logic"of Der Prozef
is not to deny the presence oftraditional organizing
principles like exteriortime references, such as K's
birthdays, the succession of seasons, and the like
(Ziolkowski 258); nor is it to negate the "Liickenhaftigkeit" of the novel, discussed extensively
among scholars during the years following Uyttersprot's publication concerning a restructuring
of the chapter chronology.
24Although in the end Frl. Bfirstner, as an individual, loses her significance for K., Kafka must
have deemed it necessary to make the initial unambiguous identification (and in short succession
a second less emphatic one) in order to show the
connection between K.'s subsequent insights and
Frl. Biirstner's catalytic role.
25Kafka, a moralist at heart like all great
writers, seems to refer here to his deeply held conviction that there is only one cardinal sin, impatience (DF 34; H 39).
26Kafka'scritical attitude toward the authority of our conscience as the arbiter of truth is also
brought out in the whipper chapter, when K. considers Franz and Willem (accordingto Winkelman
fictional representations of K.'s conscience) innocent. The real guilt, as far as K. is concerned, lies
with the organization of the court (T 86; P 106),
that is, with the way his conscience is constituted,
and not with the messengers of his judging,
punishing self. Here, too, then, an adumbration of
K.'slast and significant inner monologue,in which
he puts the responsibility for his inscrutable inner
struggle squarely upon his Creator.Cf. T 210, 220,
228; P 253, 264, 271. To pursue this provocative
issue further would go beyond the limits of this
article.
27Kafka'srejection of K.'sultimate guilt seems
to be mirroredin Aphorism 86 as well(DF 43; H49).
It even could serve as a motto forDer Prozefl,since
Kafka expresses here his belief that human beings
were given the ability to distinguish between good
and evil, not, however, the strength to act in accordance with their knowledge: hence, the inevitability of becoming guilty; hence, the invention of
Winter 1992
rationalizations (in orderto find temporary peace);
hence, the ultimate rejection of personal guilt (H
49; DF 43); hence the attribution of ultimate responsibility to the Creator.Cf. also Abraham, "aber
gerade die'Legende'... hat sich... als der Widerruf
jener hbchsten Instanz erwiesen, die fur die Wahrheit 'des Gesetzes' einstehen kSnnte"(157).
*This perception is corroboratedby I. Henel's
insight: "Nichtdas Gericht ist bereit, das Urteil zu
fallen, sondern er selbst ist bereit, den Kampf
gegen sein SchuldbewuBtseinaufzugeben"("Deutbarkeit" 261).
29AlthoughK is trying to comprehendthe underlying "Law"of his arrest, he is also fighting it
because it seems to constitute this vague, never
clearly defined or justified moral code passed on
fromgeneration to generation, and lodged as a "collective unconscious"in that ill-defined mass called
society. Yet, at the same time, it is precisely this
which exerts so powerful an influence on K.
'"Law"
that he is incapable of withstanding it. Cf. Gross's
persuasive delineation of Kafka's highly ambivalent attitude toward "the laws," as expressed in
"ZurFrage der Gesetze."
30Significantly, "Der Bau" does not end with
the nocturnal animal's death, but with a pronouncement of a continuing dilemma (CS 359; BK
214); and Josephine's "disappearance"is quickly
passed over in favor of the paradoxical appraisal
of her stature after death (CS 376; E 291). Although the hunger artist dies at the end, his death
is not portrayed as a self-punishment but as a
result of the paradox inherent in the protagonist's
life: namely, that the moment of his highest
achievement happens to coincide with his death.
31Accordingto Freud, social mores are located
in our super-ego, this "vehicle of tradition and of
all the time-resistingjudgments ofvalue" (Lectures
66). The formation of this super-ego is, apparently,
identical with the origin of conscience (Lectures
61), meaning that eventually "the super-ego takes
the place of the parental agency and observes,
directs and threatens the ego in exactly the same
way as earlier the parents did with the child"(Lectures 62).
32Politzer deals with the issue of shame
through unusually persuasive antithetical questions (217), whereas Sokel contends that K. had to
suffer such a degrading death because he did not
choose to commit suicide ("Programme"20). Such
a moralizing intent, however, seems to be alien to
Kafka (D2 188; TA 534). Abraham seems to come
to a much more convincing conclusion when he
states: "DieStirke des Romans liegt nicht in einer
MACH": Kafka
ethischen, theologischen, philosophischen oder
sonstigen Begriindung des Schuldspruchs, sondern in der Unerbittlichkeit der Analyse von
Schuldgeffihl"(158).
33The main character's death, as I. Henel observes, is portrayed by Kafka without having the
narrator abandon the protagonist's perspective
("Deutbarkeit"265). This seems to underscore the
degree to which he was able to sustain the "inner
logic"of his novel. This goal he did not achieve in
"Die Verwandlung,"the ending of which he called
"unlesbar"(D2 12; TA 351), nor in "Inder Strafkolonie," for which he attempted seven unsucceeful
revisions (D2 178-81; TA 524-28). Cf. also Abraham, for whom the end of the novel belongs "mit
Sicherheit zum Besten, was Kafka geschrieben
hat" (159).
Works Cited
References to Kafka'sGerman works are taken
from Gesammelte Werke published by Fischer,
Frankfurt am Main, and cited under the following
abbreviations:
P: Der Prozep, 1946.
E: Erzdihlungen, 1946.
BK: Beschreibung eines Kampfes, 1946.
H: Hochzeitsvorbereitungenauf dem Lande,
1953.
TA: Tagebiicher,1949.
BF: Briefe an Felice, 1967.
BM:Briefe an Milena, 1966.
References to the English translation of
Kafka'sworks, published by Schocken Books, New
York,are cited under the following abbreviations:
T: The Thial, 1974.
CS: The CompleteStories, 1976.
DF: Dearest Father. Stories and Other
Writings, 1986.
Dl: The Diaries ofFranz Kafka 1910-1913,
1974.
D2: The Diaries of Franz Kafka 1914-1923,
1974.
LF: Letters to Felice, 1973.
LM:Letters to Milena, 1970.
Abraham,Ulf. Der verh6rteHeld: Rechtund Schuld
im WerkFranz Kafkas. Miinchen: Fink, 1985.
Adorno, Theodor."Aufzeichnungenzu Kafka."Die
Neue Rundschau 64 (1953): 325-53.
Allemann, Beda. "Kafka:Der ProzeB."Derdeutsche
Roman. Vol. 2. Ed. Benno von Wiese.
Diisseldorf: Bagel, 1963. 234-90.
Armstrong, Paul B. '"he Conflictof Interpretations
33
and the Limits of Pluralism."PMLA 98 (1983):
341-52.
Asher, Evelyn W. Urteil ohne Richter: Psychische
Integration oder Charakterentfaltungim Werke
Franz Kafkas. New York:Lang, 1984.
Beck, Evelyn Torton. "Kafka'sTraffic in Women:
Gender,Power and Sexuality."Newsletter of the
Kafka Society ofAmerica 2 (1983): 3-14.
Beharriell, Frederick J. "Kafka, Freud, and 'Das
Urteil'." Texte und Kontexte: Festschrift fuir
Norbert Fihrst. Ed. M. Durzak. Bern: Francke,
1973. 27-49.
Eine kritische
Beicken, Peter U. Franz
Kafka"
Einfiihrung in die Forschung. Frankfurt am
Main: Athenium, 1974.
BeiBner, Friedrich. Der Erzlihler Franz Kafka.
Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 1952.
-. "Kafkathe Artist."
A Collection of
Kafka"
Essays. Ed. Ronald Gray.Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice, 1962. 15-31.
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innern Lebens' Ein Vortrag. Bebenhausen:
Rosch, 1972.
Binder, Hartmut. Kafka-Kommentar zu den
Romanen, Rezensionen, Aphorismen und zum
Brief an den Vater.Miinchen: Winkler, 1976.
Brombert, Victor. "Mediating the Work: Or, The
Legitimate Aims of Criticism." PMLA 105
(1990): 391-97.
The Necessity of
Corngold, Stanley. Franz
KafkA"
Form. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1988. 301-22.
Elema, Hans. "ZurStruktur von Kafkas 'Prozel3'."
Sprachkunst 8 (1977): 301-22.
Emrich, Wilhelm.Franz Kafka. 9th ed. K6nigstein,
Ts.: Athenium, 1981.
Freud, Sigmund. TheInterpretationofDreams. Ed.
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Gray, Ronald. Ed. Kafka: A Collection of Critical
Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice, 1962.
Gross, Ruth V. "Questioning the Laws: Reading
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Heller, Erich. "Man Guilty." Twentieth Century
Interpretations of 'The Trial.' Ed. James
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94-99.
Henel, Ingeborg. '"DieTlirhiiterlegende und ihre
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-. "Die Deutbarkeit von Kafkas Werken."
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THE GERMAN QUARTERLY
Zeitschrift fiir deutsche Philologie 86 (1967):
250-66.
Hiebel, Hans Helmut. Die Zeichen des Gesetzes:
Recht und Macht bei Franz Kafka. Miinchen:
Fink, 1983.
Kahn, Sandra S. The Kahn Report on Sexual
Preferences.New York:Avon, 1981.
Kobs, Jiirgen. Kafk/a- Untersuchungen zu
Bewufltsein und Sprache seiner Gestalten. Ed.
Ursula Brech. Bad Homburg:Athenaium,1970.
Kundera, Milan. TheArt ofthe Novel. Trans. Linda
Asher. New York:Harper, 1988.
Kurz, Gerhard. Traum-Schrecken: Kafkas
literarische Existenzanalyse.
Stuttgart:
Metzler, 1980.
Neumann, Gerhard."Umkehrungund Ablenkung:
Franz Kafkas 'Gleitendes Paradox'."Deutsche
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Pawel, Ernst. The Nightmare of Reason: A Life of
Franz Kafka. New York:Farrar, 1984.
Parable and
Politzer, Heinz. Franz
Paradox. Ithaca: CornellKafka"
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Pondrom, Cyrena Norman. "Kafka and
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Der Dichter des
Pongs, Hermann. Franz
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Reh, Albert. "Psychologische und Psychoanalytische Interpretationsmethoden in der
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. "Modernism and Repetition: Kafka's
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Franz
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in der
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-_.
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-
'."Franz Kafka: Der Prozel3 (1925)."Deutsche
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Sussmann, Henry. 'The Court as Text: Inversion,
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_.
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