Block Character Analysis in The Trial

Block is a client of Herr Huld’s who has been on trial for five years. His obsession with his trial has led him to enlist the services of five different lawyers. Huld finds Block irritating and treats him contemptuously, rarely deigning to speak to him. However, Block is so desperate to consult with the lawyer that he will grovel at Huld’s bedside, and often sleeps in Huld’s house in the hopes of being seen.

Block Quotes in The Trial

The The Trial quotes below are all either spoken by Block or refer to Block. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

I don’t know who the great lawyers are, and I presume you can’t get to them. I know of no case where it can be said for certain that they took part. They defend some people, but you can’t get them to do that through your own efforts, they only defend the ones they want to defend. But I assume a case they take on must have progressed beyond the lower court. It’s better not to think of them at all, otherwise you’ll find the consultations with the other lawyers, their advice and their assistance, extremely disgusting and useless. I’ve been through that myself, you feel like throwing everything up, taking to your bed, and ignoring everything.

Related Characters: Block (speaker)

Related Symbols: The Court’s Oppressive Air

Page Number and Citation: 128-129

Explanation and Analysis:

Josef has gone to Huld's house to inform him that he no longer wants Huld to be his lawyer; there he has discovered Block, another of Huld's clients, who tells Josef about his own case. Block has confessed that he secretly sees five different lawyers and has spent five years on trial. In this passage, he admits that "the great lawyers" only defend some people and that he doesn't know who they are or how a person could access them; he advises Josef not to think about these mysterious great lawyers or else he will become too dissatisfied with his Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaq

Block Character Timeline in The Trial

The timeline below shows where the character Block appears in The Trial. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

The two men walk towards the lawyer’s office, and the bearded man introduces himself as Block. He is a tradesman and a client of Huld’s. Josef’s control of this conversation makes... (full context)

...upon Leni making soup in the lawyer’s kitchen. Josef interrogates Leni about her relationship to Block, but she flatteringly assures him that he has no reason to envy the tradesman. Leni... (full context)

The Unknowable and Interpretation Theme Icon

In the kitchen, Josef asks Block about his case. Block begins to prattle about his business and his trial. Before Block... (full context)

Block also explains that because the court cannot be understood rationally, many defendants rely on superstition.... (full context)

Block reveals that he has spent five years on trial. Most lawyers cannot influence a case,... (full context)

...returns to the kitchen to tell Josef that Huld is waiting for him. Josef presses Block to continue speaking, but he seems reluctant to do so in Leni’s presence. Leni tells... (full context)

Leni shows Josef the cramped room that Block sleeps in, and the merchant’s pathetic presence is suddenly too much for Josef to bear.... (full context)

...his maid’s behavior, Huld tells Josef that Leni has a mysterious attraction to accused men—even Block. (full context)

...shows him how much worse other defendants are treated. As if to prove this point, Block is summoned, and the lawyer browbeats him mercilessly. (full context)

Josef protests Huld’s treatment of Block, but Block is insulted and lashes out at Josef. Block then returns to groveling before... (full context)

Block Character Analysis

Block Quotes in The Trial

Chapter 8 Quotes

Block Character Timeline in The Trial