The Trial Lesson Plan

What does K. know about court officials - their roles, powers, and/or identities?

Students should pull specific details from the text. Advanced students may have theories as to what court officials represent. Compare lower officials to high officials—noting that lower officials are all we ever get to encounter, with K., in the text. Higher officials are practically an abstract concept, discussed reverently! Some students may draw a comparison to religion. Mystery and awe surround higher court officials, who are all-powerful and completely unreachable. They are uninvolved with cases such as K.’s, and maybe with all cases. Lower court officials, on the other hand, are...