In Kafka’s novel The Trial, how does Josef K.’s attitude towards authority (the court, lawyers, guards) affect his sense of self-esteem and identity?

In Franz Kafka’s novel The Trial, Josef K.’s attitude towards authority emerges as an existential struggle that deeply affects his sense of self-esteem and identity. In Kafka’s work, authority manifests itself as an abstract, incomprehensible, and omnipresent force through figures such as the court, lawyers, and guards. This authority is a labyrinth that threatens the individual’s autonomy and search for meaning. Josef K.’s relationship with this authority reflects a process in which he attempts to rebuild his identity and self-esteem, but ultimately this effort ends in absurd failure. In this context, a philosophical analysis can be enriched with existential perspectives such as Kierkegaard’s concept of anxiety, Heidegger’s understanding of Dasein, and Camus’ philosophy of the absurd.

Josef K.’s Attitude Towards Authority

At the beginning of the novel, Josef K. displays a defiant attitude towards authority with his belief in his innocence and his self-confidence as a rational individual. He finds the court’s accusation against him illogical and unfair; therefore, he initially tries to understand and fight the authority. However, the nature of the court, as a bureaucratic nightmare, is neither transparent nor understandable. This uncertainty shakes K.’s rational worldview and pushes him to search for meaning. While K.’s attitude towards authority is initially an attempt to defend his autonomy as a subject, it is overshadowed over time by his fear of becoming an object in the face of this authority.

K.’s relationships with figures such as the lawyer Huld and the priest show the evolution of his attitude towards authority. The lawyer Huld promises to help K., but his passive and manipulative attitude leads K. to lose even more control of his case. K.’s dependence on the lawyer undermines his self-esteem because this relationship forces K. to cede his autonomy to someone else. Similarly, the guards and court officials constantly push K. into a humiliating position. This situation causes K. to feel increasingly powerless and worthless in the face of authority.

Impact on Self-Respect and Perception of Identity

Josef K.’s self-esteem erodes under the pressure of authority. Kierkegaard’s concept of anxiety (Angst) provides a powerful framework for understanding K.’s situation. According to Kierkegaard, when an individual becomes aware of his freedom, he also feels anxious about the responsibility and uncertainty that this freedom brings. Faced with the uncertainty of his crime and the incomprehensibility of the trial, K. questions the limits of his own existential freedom. This anxiety shakes K.’s self-esteem because he is no longer the master of his own actions but a figure subject to the arbitrary decisions of the authority.

Heidegger’s concept of Dasein provides another philosophical lens for understanding K.’s perception of identity. According to Heidegger, Dasein is a being “thrown” (Geworfenheit) into the world and constructs itself as an authentic being by confronting death and owning its own possibilities. However, K. does not have the opportunity to construct its own authenticity in the state of “thrownness” imposed by the court. The court prevents K. from defining its own existential project and confines it to a world of “them” (das Man). This shatters K.’s sense of identity, because he is no longer an individual who can create his own meaning, but an object defined by authority.

Camus’ philosophy of the absurd further illuminates K.’s struggle with authority. According to Camus, the absurd arises from the conflict between man’s search for meaning and the universe’s indifference to this search. K.’s struggle against the court is a concrete manifestation of this absurdity. He tries to decipher the meaning of his case, but the court refuses to provide this meaning. K.’s self-esteem is shaped by his effort to resist this absurdity; however, ultimately, K.’s surrender and passivity at the execution scene signify a final defeat against the absurdity. K.’s death “like a dog” symbolizes the complete collapse of his self-esteem and identity.

The Metaphysical Dimension of Authority

Kafka’s authority is not only a social or bureaucratic structure, but also a metaphysical power. The court can represent God, fate, or the incomprehensibility of human existence. K.’s attitude towards this authority reflects man’s search for a universal meaning and the inevitable failure of this search. K.’s self-esteem tries to survive in the face of this metaphysical authority by trying to create his own meaning; however, the absoluteness of authority renders K.’s effort meaningless.

In summary

Josef K.’s attitude towards authority, while initially a rational resistance and an effort to protect his self-esteem, turns into a surrender in the face of the incomprehensible and oppressive nature of authority. This process deeply shakes K.’s self-esteem and sense of identity; it reduces him to a being who cannot construct his own autonomy and meaning. Kierkegaard’s anxiety, Heidegger’s Dasein, and Camus’s absurd offer powerful philosophical tools for understanding K.’s tragedy. Kafka’s The Trial shows how the individual engages in an existential struggle against authority and how this struggle undermines basic human experiences such as self-esteem and identity.