Literary Analysis Essay on 'The Trial' by Franz Kafka and 'The Plague' by Albert Camus

Introduction

The concept of woman power has been presented in the two books above where it has contributed to the development of themes and characters. In both stories, there is the development of female characters that in a way have influenced the state of the conditions of each setting. However, there is a differing representation of the woman in relation to the protagonist where in the case of the trial; the protagonist is faced with women attracted to him right from the courtroom. The following discussion is, therefore, an analysis of the above works by Franz and Albert in relation to the representation of women and the influences of this representation to the story plot.

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The epic made by Franz Kafka has been viewed as a champion among the best books of the twentieth century. The existentialist producer attempted to keep his work, and private life is kept up a fundamental separation from the examination of others. Bits of learning concerning Franz Kafka's own life, explicitly his association with ladies, have avoided and confused peruses with pretty much a century. The Plague is a novel about a plague infection in the expansive Algerian city of Oran. The holy people's unbridled joint endeavors with female characters uncover the producers' arrangement of perspectives toward ladies, paying little notice to whether similarly as sex toys that stray from significant society, or as delicate and shocking necessities of a reasonable life. The Trial, a victor among Kafka's most acclaimed and thought about books, offers fascinating data that uncovers data concerning his very own life that most records negligence to get it. 'The Plague' is a novel about a plague pestilence in the large Algerian city of Oran. Ladies are lifting their skirts and moving with bowed heads, men controlling the women by the elbow to keep their brushing against the tip-up seats at the terminations of the lines. The female characters that are referenced in the novel have not a great deal of lines, and the record of a whole town experiencing a staggering disease is told absolutely from the viewpoint of a few male characters.

Franz Kafka's The Trial portrays women in a range of complex roles that range from insignificant to very significant parts. In the early stages of the novel, the readers are introduced to female characters such as Frau Gubrach and Elsa who play very minimal roles in the trial of Joseph K., On the other hand, there are women such as Leni, who play crucial roles in Joseph K's case. Leni happens to possess critical information about K's case. Therefore one cannot entirely point out the women in Kafka, (1925) had significant or non-significant roles. For instance, there is Frauleine Burstner who is one of the women that appears at the very early stages of the novel. Burstner plays a significant role in the storyline of the book. It can be argued that Burstner's part in the story is sexual because K only perceives her a sexual partner and nothing else. Burstner is also a tenant in K's apartment buildings. His attempts to win her over have been futile always ending with K pawing at her, which she doesn't seem happy about it. Burstner is aspiring to have a career as a law secretary and that makes her even more attractive to Joseph K. K is yet to settle down, and he sees his relationship with Burstner as his chance of settling down. However, his hopes wear down as the story progresses and more women enter the picture. Therefore Burgner mainly fulfills a sexual role in Kafka's The Trial. Then there is Leni. Leni is also another woman whose role grows gradually as the story progresses. Leni is a nurse to another character in the story, but the author alludes to the fact that her position may extend beyond that of a nurse to that of a mistress(p.77). As the story develops, one can see a trend in the portrayal of women in Kafka's novel. Despite holding some critical information that could help the trial, Leni's role is reduced to that of a sexual nature. Her beauty cannot be matched to other mistresses of Joseph. K. However, she seems to have a firm grip of him to the point that K is willing to ignore the trial. All these representations paint a picture of the sexualization of women. All the women in the story starting from Burstner whose career could have allowed her to have direct participation in the case, to the usher's wife in the courtroom who is a sexual victim of the magistrate. All these are proof enough that women are confined to the role of sexual fulfillment in The Trial.

On the other hand, a comparison of The Trial to Albert Camus' the plague will reveal that the role of women is not that different in the two stories. However, unlike The Trial, Camus avoids portraying women as tools for sexual fulfillment. Some of the main female characters in the story include Mme. Reux who is the mother of Dr. Reux. There is also Dr. Reux wife who is sent away from the Algerian city of Oran early in the novel (Camus, 1947, p. 4). There is also Mme. Othon who is Mr. Othon's wife and Jacques' mother. Other characters include Dr. Castel's wife, Jeanne, Raymond Rambert's wife, and Mme. Loret. These female characters have a regular role in the story. Unlike in The Trial, their roles are less complex and can be described as less important. Love is a theme that is very pronounced in The Plague. The love for the town, the love for humanity, and the love for family. The women in the story happen to be the channels that distribute the love in the city. For example, Dr. Reux is divided in choosing on whether to go to his wife or stay behind and battle the plague that has gripped the city. His wife's sickness is the first conflict that Dr. Reux has to overcome before he even starts battling the plague. Then there is Rambert's wife who although they are not married, her presence plays a significant impact in the storyline because she is the main motivation for Rambert to escape from the quarantined city of Oran. She doesn't have direct involvement, but her mere presence in the story is enough to influence the events that occur around her. Then there is Louis Mother, who like Dr. Reux mother, is a representation of courage in the face of death. These women are not scared of the plague like the rest of the town, and they do not attempt to try and escape from the town (Camus, 1947, p. 99). They were not directly involved in combating the plague, but the women provided supporting structures for the men in the story. There is also the senior woman that provided Father Paneloux with residence once his residence became a quarantine. Although the women don't directly get involved in the plague, they are treated with respect and get to influence the events in the story without their sexual participation. However, it can be argued that they are treated as trophies since they only get to stay at home and distant lands. The male characters were going around treating the sick while the women got to stay home and await their husbands'return. These factors combine to paint a picture that regards women as trophies that are kept at home for display.

Nevertheless, the portrayal of women in the two novels indicate the fascist situations that the characters found themselves in. In The Trial, the situation was much worse because of the rampant corruption and totalitarian government. The principles of justice, equality, wrong, and right have become subjective. The powerful use their influence to get their way in various situations, and even Joseph K. is a participant in the broken system. Throughout the story, the author paints the picture that Joseph K innocense but impending destruction. The courts and the law are untouchable, and society has become self-destructive. In the face of all these, there is the objectification of women who are viewed as sexual objects as evidenced by Leni and the usher's wife. All these come together to paint a picture of a society that thrives on oppression. The image is somehow similar to that of The Plague because the government is hell-bent on suppressing the truth about the plague during its early onset. That shows that in The Plague the definition of what is right and wrong is also subjective and dependent on those in power. The people in power thought that it was right to hide the truth from the public just as the government in The Trial thought it was right to execute people without giving them a fair trial. However, some differences can be pointed out in the two societies based on their treatment of females. The females in the Oran had the power to influence policies through their husbands. M. Othon is a magistrate in Oran, but unlike his counterparts in The Trial, his ability is very much suppressed. Characters such as Tarrou openly disagreed with the magistrate issuing a death sentence. However, women in The Trial got to have direct participation in the storyline of the book. Characters such as Leni got directly involved in the trial, while Burstner worked as a secretary lawyer. However, in The Plague, women have a ceremonial role in society.

Conclusion

The Trial and The Plague are two novels that paint a less than pleasing picture of the women societies. The women in The Trial have varying roles in the storyline. Some of the women in Kafka (1925) play a significant role while others play a less significant role. However, almost all of them serve the purpose of fulfilling sexual roles to various characters in the story. They are objectified and viewed as objects for sex. On the other hand, The Plague has a better portrayal of women as they get to promote the theme of love. Their roles are not sexual as in The Trial, but they are still objectified as trophies. They don't make any direct contribution to combating the plague other than supporting roles.

References

Camus, A. (1947). The Plague. Paris: Editions Gallimard.

Kafka, F. (1925). The Trial. Berlin: Verlag Die Schmiede,.