““The Castle” by Franz Kafka, Romantic and Clerical”

By Pietro Svetlich

-Based on “Michael Kohlhaas” by Von Kleist and “The Robbers” by Friedrich Schiller.

-Karl Moor “The Robbers” : […] I am disgusted with this age of puny scribblers when I read of great men in my Plutarch.”

-When “Ancient Grudge” is no more resolved by violence but trough bureaucracy and documents!

For a Friedrich Schiller who complains about the excessive phlegm of his contemporaries, there is a Franz Kafka who shows how man’s natural instincts may express themselves despite administrative law. In “The Castle” Kafka points out that an Institution reduced to bureaucracy may be seen as. a form of violence by other means.

A few enigmas presented in «The Castle», are clarified thanks to a second reading, as it happens with the short novels written by Von Kleist. The first reading is perplexing, a second reading or a “backward” reading is necessary. In short, we must look over the paperwork.

Imagine German romantic heroes like Tannhäuser, Karl Moor of «The Robbers», Michael Kohlhaas of the homonymous story who are indomitable and willing to do anything to achieve their goals. Think about Romantic values just like titanism, heroism, the night and obsession. Make a comparison with K. who arrives in the village , even if he wants to reach the Castle,he wants to reclaim what belongs to himself: the position of land surveyor within the Administration.

The Mayor explains to him that there was an error, or rather, an oversight, between the office «a» and the office «b» and the passing of the time has made that K. has arrived to get a job that is not there and neither it is useful. 100 years earlier the heroes just mentioned, complained and swore for the absence of emotions, they wanted to act heroically; for them the law is not exciting, the law has turned off souls, finally the flame of Prometheus has gone out! Let’s recollect of a bored Tannhäuser who moves away from Horselberg despite reaching incorruption and the love of the Goddess Venus.

In Kafka’s time, the bureaucracy has finally wrapped everything up. In Kafka’s short story «Poseidon» the god of the sea is sitting at his table to do some accounting, like a secretary of the Castle, his helpers do not help much, Poseidon does all the bills by himself. Poseidon is frustrated when he learns that everyone believes him to be «over the waves» rather than dedicated to auditing. In «The Castle» the mistress is very annoyed by K.’s immature behavior, because she knows that everything is petty in the Administration; K. does not accept these explanations, as the romantic heroes did not accept the rule of Reason!

K. is struggling with stamped papers, mistresses, innkeepers, teachers and a cold and snowy climate, spring is far away, it doesn’t last long, and it snows anyway. It is not enough, K. is stubborn as a child in wanting to get what he deserves and every time he seeks a shortcut to talk to the officials and to get closer to the Castle.

Secretaries and employees of the Administration do not like this fury, but K. doesn’t bother. If the battle now takes place out of bureaucracy and no longer trough a duel or through horseback clashes it is not important. The titanic instinct remains the same. The goal must be achieved.

Kafka’s parody of German Romanticism reaches its peak in the meeting between K. and the “liaison secretary” Bürgel. Bürgel is Friedrich’s secretary (a tribute to Schiller?) of the Castle and confides to K. his titanic struggle to carry out his task with the maximum possible energy. You have to read the passage not to lose the nuances. Bürgel follows the procedures, is subject to the law, listens to the parties, interrogates, draws up minutes and administers justice. Although fatigued, he finds his job exciting and he could not do anything else. The night magnifies his feelings, although in compliance within his mandate, the secretary knows that he is vulnerable to the requests of the side, the role of K., the side could take more advantage, but in compliance with the law, however subject to revision,it is a pity unfortunately that K., the side, is sleepy, the dialogue is therefore a monologue between one side lying down and another one curled up at his feet.

The assault, via legal exceptions, is just imagined, it is in the dreams of one side, K., and in the words of the “liaison secretary”, attentive to the Law but also sensitive to entreaties.

The climax is reached at 5 in the morning when almost a physical clash occurs; the corridor comes alive! Here the battle between Gods and Titans, between good and evil with catapults and cannons is now reduced to a cart, moved by two attendants, who knock on the secretaries’ doors to leave envelopes and letters.

Secretaries react to the siege! They don’t open the doors, they try to dodge the delivery! The tension rises, the attendants make plans and look for alternatives, this epic passage should be read while listening to the “Ride of the Valkyries” .

In short, Kafka is brilliant in reducing and adapting Romantic poetics to make it fit in the rooms of an administrative office. Meanwhile K. observes everything and looks for a logical flaw to continue his journey and get what he deserves! He feels like the fox that slips around the chicken coop, but the landlady believes that if he is not careful, he risks the end of those who try to steal from the robbers.

In the present days, 100 years after Kafka and 200 years after the «Sturm und Drang» movement we can only confirm Kafka’s views; the battles and, the melee, so fascinating for the quarrelsome human nature, are now represented by daily clashes with the bureaucracy.

If the bureaucracy avoids physical clashes between the parties, at the same time we cannot die of bureaucracy and fulfillments, otherwise we would be only Romantics who come to self-destruction by other means.