30.1.2009
(Continued from part
1 and part 2.)
5) Arrogance and contempt. K.'s initial reaction to all the other
characters in the first chapter is to view them as inferior, and he tends
to interpret any complications in his own situation as brought about by
incompetence, stupidity or outright wrongdoing on their part. When he
confronts the two guards with questions about legitimation papers and
doesn't get anywhere with this strategy, he explains this to himself with
their incompetence and concludes that his problem is just that he had no
opportunity so far to talk to someone more equal to himself (15). When he
later speaks with their supervisor, he sees this opportunity as finally
come (20) - but of course the supervisor is likewise not impressed by K.'s
incoherent (see above regarding K.'s ramblings about surprise) and
arrogant (viz. his thinking out loud about regarding the whole process as a
joke) speech, and so K. concludes again that the person opposite him is just
not an equal to himself (23). Generally, whenever people act contrary to K.'s
expectations (however unrealistic those may be), his opinion of them falls
to very low levels immediately. In the second chapter, this is particularly
pronounced when his landlady overlooks his desire for a symbolic handshake
(a symbolism that exists in K.'s mind alone anyway, 34-35).
It is easy to see what the function of this behavior is - to rationalize
his failure to engage or cope with the situation, and more specifically,
the failure to interact sensibly with the involved people. Neither are K.'s
strategies successful, nor is his style suited to improve his standing in
all the situations that are described in the novel. But K. attributes the
resulting undesirable developments invariably to other people's
shortcomings - which guarantees, among other things, that in subsequent
interchanges he modifies his approach not in the least, and the outcomes are,
predictably, very similar to those he reached earlier. (It also reinforces
the contemptuous tone of both his internal monologue and his dialogue with
others.)
6) Kaminer's smile. One of K.'s co-workers summoned by the
supervisor to the scene of the arrest, we learn, has a physically distorted
facial expression that makes him look as if he was constantly grinning or
smiling (27). At the end of the first chapter, K. abstains from making fun of
this feature of his co-worker, because 'unfortunately humanity forbids it'
(29). It is unfortunate that some English translations omit the
'unfortunately' here; but the German text says 'leider', and it is important
to notice that K. abstains regretfully from making a joke. He would
have liked to do so.
This makes it doubtful whether it really is humane consideration which
motivates him. A considerate person wouldn't probably even have had that
impulse, but if explicitly deliberating, such a person would have weighed
the (small) pleasure to be gained from initiating a conversation (which
seems K.'s motive here, for he is in need of 'Zuspruch', i.e. 'a few
encouraging words') against the probable hurting of someone else's feelings;
from that comparison at the latest there shouldn't be any more doubt about
the appropriate behavior, and thus no more reason for residual regret. Such
regret shows that for K., as clearly in contrast to a humanely motivated
person, his own needs seem to have enough weight to let him secretly wish
for having that option available after all. And this, in turn, shows that
what stops him is probably not really humanity, but something else (perhaps
social convention, or a desire not to look callous).
This is a general pattern: sometimes K. acts in a way that might look at
first glance as if it showed some concern for others - but then it becomes
clear that the motivation was selfish after all. For instance, in the third
chapter K., who is walking up the stairs in the house where his hearing
takes place, is slowed down for a moment by two children (who have grabbed
his trouser legs to prevent him from spoiling an ongoing game). K. has to
wait - what keeps him from shaking off the two kids is that he would have
to hurt them. (55) Now, a normal person would surely have the kindness and
patience necessary to wait a few seconds if the alternative course is
hurting a child - that's because hurting children is wrong, the thing one
doesn't do (except for situations where there is an overriding concern: if
there is a fire alarm for instance, one might well have to use force in
order to ensure the safety of persons). But that's not K.'s reasoning. His
motivation is that he is afraid of the noise they would make - which, by
implication, means that he probably wouldn't hesitate to shake them off
(indifferent to the pain he might inflict on them) if he just could ensure
nobody would notice.
(To be continued.)
