城堡（英文版）

城堡是什么？它就矗立在不高的山岗上，近得仿佛触手可及，沿着脚下的路一直走即可到达；却又远得虚无缥缈，溯游从之，道阻且长，溯洄从之，宛在云中央。 一件很简单的事，卡夫卡却把它写得峰回路转：城堡征召一名土地测量员，K先生于是千里迢迢、顶风冒雪地应征而来。不曾想城堡计划早已改变，撤消了这条请求，只是这条撤销令发错了部门，不知所踪。K先生于是被困在了山脚下的村子里，没有得到任何解释。为了弥补自己损失的时间和花费，K先生就像他的后辈-- 秋菊和李雪莲一样，开始了漫漫地讨说法之路。 经历了各种光怪陆离，处处碰壁之后，K先生始终无缘面见城堡中日理万机的大人物。唯一一次从门孔中窥见，这位“忙碌”的大人物却在坐着打盹儿。卡夫卡一定没有到过中国，还不知道有红包这个玩意儿，他采用了西方的比较文明的方式-- 接近这位大人物的小蜜并和她坠入了爱河。这就好像为了接近宋思明而先爱上海藻，在我们那儿的术语叫no zuo no die[捂脸]。 提纲里K先生至死也没有进入城堡半步，小说没有完结，K先生目前还活着，因为卡夫卡先他而去了，留下了这一部最让人揣测的作品，就像小说里最常用的一个词-- incomprehensible （不可理喻）。 每个人心中应该都有一座可望而不可及的“城堡”：官员们渴望着更进一步；上访群众希望告御状；教徒们纠结着能不能进入天堂；普通人则盼着更清廉的社会。十个人读“城堡”估计会有十个想法，而最让我感叹的却是那效率低下、人浮于事的官僚体制，而这又恰恰是每个国人都很熟悉的。 就像城堡内的官员也叫“高级仆人”一样，我们也有公仆，只不过同样也是对上不对下的，所谓的“主人翁”想见他们一面难上加难。“大人物们”最关心的是自己的威信和政绩，解决实际问题则是次之又次。因为正规渠道无法沟通，于是乎拉关系、上下打点成为正常。上行下效，每个人手头的权利都要用到十足。慢慢地也就没有什么正规渠道了，有什么问题先想想自己有什么关系，如何打点。慢慢地不光政府机关如此，医院、学校莫不如此。 我没有见过什么公仆，也没有什么需要进入城堡才能解决的大事，要说有什么成长中的小槛儿，倒是想起了刚工作的时候的一些事儿。当时进了一家合资公司，呆了两年多准备换一家，结果被人事部经理婉拒。说的无非是进京户口、合同期、出国培训等等冠冕堂皇的理由，唯独不问个人意愿。去了人事部几次无果，同事说是不是该送点儿礼？当时偏不信这个邪，反正也不着急，没事儿就去人事部磨着。差不多磨了一个月，估计见我铁了心，才勉强交钱放人。 去了一家独资公司，呆了还是两年多，又因故要走人。惴惴不安地走进人事部，问需要什么手续？经理回答：你要真决定了，签个字就行，不需要什么手续。我：那我的护照是公司给办的，要不要交回？经理：不用，你不是还要用它办签证吗？走出人事部我才恍然大悟：原来人事部也干人事儿啊！原来所谓的“城堡”都是人为的啊！ 真心希望现在每个人的精力不用消耗在那些琐碎甚至刁难的程序上。路漫漫其修远兮，吾将上下而求索。求索的应该是我们各自的目标，而不是那错综复杂的关系。

在卡夫卡的《城堡》中，世界呈现出一种近乎病态的秩序——一切看似井然，却毫无神圣的根基；一切似乎运转，却无人真正知晓其规则。在这部未竟之作中，“城堡”不再是庇佑众生的神圣居所，而是高悬于人世之上的黑箱，是一切裁决的源头，却又与尘世的痛苦毫无关联。K的旅程——表面上是对工作的申请与承认，本质上却是一场灵魂对终极意义的探寻，正如诺斯替教徒在堕落世界中追寻真神的回响。 在诺斯替教的宇宙图式中，现实由伪神Demiurge所造，误将自身视为神圣的顶点，从而创造了一个充满苦难与异化的物质世界。而真神与灵光则遥不可及，只有借助内在的灵知（gnosis），人才能从这虚假的秩序中觉醒。《城堡》中的K正是这位“被抛入”的灵魂，他试图理解这个制度世界的本质，并企图在荒谬中维持自己的正直与清明。然而，他所面对的是一座永不显形、永不回应的“城堡”——正如诺斯替教徒眼中的伪神世界，令人迷惘、疏离、充满欺骗性的伪启示。 女性角色在《城堡》中亦令人深思。Amalia和Frieda，仿佛是诺斯替神话中的Sophia的两个分身：她们是堕落前和堕落后的Sophia。她们曾与神圣“灵界”有过接触，随后堕入秩序的底层，却又保有不可夺取的神性残迹。K试图拯救她们，但以失败告终——如同灵魂未能带Sophia重返圆满之境。尤其在小说结尾处，Frieda与助手Jeremias消失在肮脏、下贱的旅馆房间中，“神性复归”的希望完全破灭。 K原本的“土地测量员”身份，意味着他携带某种“度量”世界的理性与企图，但最终他连自己的身份也难以确认。他在夜晚与Bürgel的对话中短暂地靠近了“启示”，却依旧无法穿透这片制度构建的迷雾。正如弗洛伊德所揭示的梦——它是潜意识的图像，却从不坦言其真正的意义。在卡夫卡笔下，启示若有其事，却永远不能被验证。灵魂永远踟蹰，等待一种永不会降临的“拯救”。 K最终没有抵达城堡，正如末世中的诺斯替教徒无法抵达真神的境地。人被困在一个伪神(包括Sordini, Klamm, Sortini)的创造中，而K正如在旷野中呼告的耶稣，只是这一次，上帝彻底隐身了，耶稣的呼告得不到任何回应。昆德拉早就注意到，K其实是穿越到20世纪的堂吉诃德，后者在没有骑士的时代里扮演骑士，前者在没有神灵的时代里寻找神迹。如果说诺斯替教徒仍可凭信仰怀有某种抵达彼岸的希望，那么卡夫卡则取消了一切彼岸的可能——K作为信仰时代的遗民，注定要在这个伪神的世界里徒劳地寻找神迹。 《城堡》超越了对韦伯笔下“超理性化官僚世界”的反思，更像是末世的一则神学寓言。尼采宣称上帝已死，卡夫卡为我们补上一句：但他还没有下葬，并且我们将永久为之守灵。

作为一个极端扭曲的人性和社会的描述，该书堪称经典。专制、无知、愚昧、以及伴随状态的压抑、变态、恐惧和无力感，令人不寒而栗。

K就是一个反抗的斗士，一次次燃起胜利的希望，一次次坠入绝望的深渊。

《城堡》从某种意义上来说不仅仅是一部小说，更是一本现代启示录。《城堡》中的预言一直影响着我们，直到现在，我们仍然活在卡夫卡预言的世界里。《城堡》的预言至今仍有着无可比拟的现实意义。早在二十世纪初，卡夫卡就惊恐地发现，在社会柔和的外表下，掩藏着人性的不真实。他感到前所未有的恐惧，这种恐惧来自他对未知世界的窥探，也来自于他敏锐的洞察力。卡夫卡发出了惊世骇俗的呼喊。他的尖叫振聋发聩，穿越一个世纪的长度，至今在我们耳边萦绕。他的预言犹如一个强大的结界包围着我们，尽管没有结局，却仍然无法挣脱。然而预言终有一天会被揭开，就如同K不可能永远只拘泥于小小的村庄中一样。他需要得到城堡对于他的价值的肯定。那个庞大的城堡犹如炽热的太阳一般闪耀，而K也甘愿做一只小小的飞蛾，一次次奋不顾身地扑向他所谓的光明。为了能够进入城堡，K开始游走于形形色色的公职人员之间。他敲开一扇扇官僚机构的大门，一次次等待城堡老爷的降临。然而在一扇门被敲开之后，真相却跌入了更深的黑暗之中。在K的眼中，城堡的实体日益模糊，取而代之的是一种强大的压迫力使他喘不过气来。城堡无数次出现再K最深的梦魇中，如同海市蜃楼。K觉得它近在咫尺，却遥不可及。城堡此时就如同上帝与K开的玩笑，位于现实和虚无之间的临界点上，真实而虚幻。尽管真相始终被埋藏于巨大的城堡之下，K却一直没有放弃对城堡的追逐。他与城堡当局展开了持久繁琐的拉锯战。在这样的心理战下，人性开始扭曲。K为了与城堡建立真正联系做了许多徒劳无意却又卑鄙龌龊的尝试。他勾引了城堡老爷的情妇弗丽达，却对弗丽达毫不在乎。在K眼中，弗丽达只不过是一件奢侈的抵押品而已，与爱情无关。现代人就如同这个两百多年前的土地测量员K一样，被利益囚禁，成为权力角斗场中的奴隶。破碎的人性和卡夫卡的预言惊人地吻合。权力、欲望成为现代人渴求的梦。正如《城堡》所预言的那样，我们的人性中的冷漠与功利在利益的催化之下喷薄而发。事实之于K来说更加残酷——他一辈子都无法进入城堡。然而极具讽刺意味的是，城堡在最后的时刻发来告书，允许K在村中居住。K多年以来的斗争，最后换来的仅仅是城堡对于他在阳光底下的生存权的默许，我不知道这是否可以算做是K的胜利。在经历了一个大回环之后，而我们的测量员K先生换得了生存的权力。这大概也算是K奋斗一生的结果吧。现代人正在倒退，倒退回K的模样。于是我们又重新跌回《城堡》所预言的那个冷漠功利的世界。逐渐封闭的内心中填埋着人性的脆弱不堪。冷漠的外表下掩埋着狂暴的灵魂。为了获得阳光下生存的权力，无数人勾心斗角，建立起伪善的关系网。采菊东篱下，悠然见南山的淡泊名利已经远去，成为一种奢侈品。这样的世界，与《城堡》的预言又什么差距呢？卡夫卡的预言仍然继续，现在人的生活也在继续。或许，我们不必因为卡夫卡的预言感到惶恐，（尽管他揭露了事实）因为永远是这样，风后面是风，天空上面是天空，道路前面是道路，预言的前方仍然是预言。

《城堡》---卡夫卡终身无法触及的权威        本书的简述，引用百度百科，主人公K作为城堡指派的土地测量员到达隶属城堡的山村，遇到形形色色的人物的故事。         K半夜抵达山村，在桥边旅馆落脚被城堡小管家儿子S质问身份，兜兜转转城堡含糊其辞地承认了K的身份，K得以在旅馆继续落脚。第二天，K本该被城堡召进却杳无音信，便在山村闲逛寻找去城堡的路，途中邂逅冷漠严肃的山村教师，闯入私宅被告知不能在此逗留，被屋主人架出屋外。返回旅馆途中由于雪深路长，动弹不得，被怕出事(非出于好心)的农民用雪橇送回桥边旅馆。在旅馆门口得知城堡为其指派了两名对测量一无所知的助理和一名信使，K吩咐助理致电城堡询问其工作行程安排，却被助理告知城堡不会处理这种电话(即此路不通)，K并不相信坚持亲自致电城堡并验证了自己不会被城堡召进的事实(城堡不会接待土地测量)。随后K接待了城堡信使B，信使B递给他一封信，K仔细地研究了这封信，信有如下几点意思，K虽然是城堡土地测量员，却不对城堡负责，只需对乡村主席负责(名义城堡测量员，实则乡村测量员)，工作上有什么困难可以由这位信使B向城堡传递(打电话什么的就免了吧！)。至此K明白了要求城堡下达命令召进自己是不可能的，只能通过自己的努力(自己的谋划)才能进城堡。于是K追着B不放提出要求，要求B带他一起走(言下之意要B带他去城堡)，生怕放走城堡唯一的联络。B是个和颜悦色亲民好信使，至少他没有排斥K，然而B并没有去城堡述职，而是把K带到自己家徒四壁穷困潦倒的家，B告知K自己只有白天才去城堡，晚上必须睡在家里(K去城堡的希望断了)。在B的家里，K遇到了同样好心并对爱慕的K的B的大姐O，以及威严现实的小妹A, 一家人邀请K吃晚餐并在此夜宿一晚，K非常嫌弃就跟着大姐O去绅士酒店打啤酒。K在该酒店遇到女酒保F，从F处得知城堡主(伯爵)常常并现在在此处下榻，而自己是伯爵的情妇，F甚至让K通过门小孔偷窥伯爵。K当即做出了一个大胆的决定。一方面自己不想跟O去他们家过夜，但又不被允许在绅士旅馆过夜，另一方面自己想跟信使B去城堡的希望已断，必须寻找新希望。于是他大胆地引诱了女酒保F(不是出于对F的爱)，想通过F见伯爵并再次跟城堡扯上关系。F一方面非常爱K，另一方面对自己的现状非常不满。以为自己找到了真爱，便飞蛾扑火般大胆地为K做了两件事，第一件事跟房东对着干，将K留在自己的酒吧过夜，第二件事在跟K发生了关系的同时拒绝了伯爵的求爱，意味着自己不再做伯爵的情妇。这意味着K再次进入城堡的希望又断了，因为伯爵的情妇不再是伯爵的情妇，并且此事也带来其他负面效果，F被卸职扫出绅士旅馆，跟着K一起回到桥边旅馆，此时F由女酒保转换成K的未婚妻。然而另一个噩耗传来使K的境地更加难堪，K去乡村主席那里述职却被告知:“我们本来就不需要土地测量员，之所以发出土地测量员的公告完全出于我们体制内部的错误。”(人生处处有惊喜，原来K在城堡和乡村的出现根本是个错误)，然而K对这个结果表示无法接受，他表示我背井离乡不可能两手空空回去，再者我家乡也没有适合的工作。经过K和主席的协商，主席表示K可以暂时做学校们门卫员来养活自己，K并不想接受这个职位。当他回到桥边旅馆，未婚妻F告诉他桥边旅馆的女房东(他是F的好朋友，也曾是伯爵的情妇，我们可以YY下伯爵到底有多少情妇)已经不再收留他们了，女房东不收留K的理由罗列如下:一、客观条件。旅馆开始收留K入住仅仅是房东对K的可怜(女房东对此并不知)，二、私人方面。K勾引了女房东的好朋友F，其居心叵测，并且不听从女房东忠告。三、根本原因。K作为城堡土地测量员名存实亡，跟城堡已经没有干系。K处境水深火热并在未婚妻F的劝告下接受了学校门卫员一职，举家迁徙至学校，迁徙途中，K甚至私自相见伯爵，在雪地里伯爵的雪橇旁边等伯爵等了几个小时，却被雪橇夫叫他去雪橇里面拿酒恰好被伯爵的秘书撞见，计划失败(希望再次破灭)。未婚妻F一边跟两个助理暧昧不清，另一边怀疑K对自己的真心，学校条件艰苦，风餐露宿，老师和K发生种种矛盾，F内心备受煎熬，恳求K带她远走高飞，K没有答应她的请求。期间K有收到过B传递过来的城堡的第二封信。信的内容极其荒唐，表扬了K认真履行土地测量员的职责(K压根没有开始干活)，赞扬K有力督促助理的工作(K跟两助理相处并不愉快，经常拿棍子抽他们)，读到此处只想感叹下:你在桥边看风景，看风景的人在楼上看你，明月装饰了你的窗子，你装饰了别人的梦。或许人生就是一场戏。收到信的K干了两件事，一是赶走了两名助理，二背着自己的未婚妻F再次拜访了B一家人，这为未婚妻弃他而去埋下了伏笔。当助理不再是助理就有可能成为情敌，F本身对B一家人非常反感，极力反对K跟B一家人亲近。理由如下:B家大姐O爱慕K，K去B家就是对他们感情的不忠，B家小妹A因拒绝城堡公职人员S的求爱侮辱过城堡的信使，家族声誉不好。在K拜访B一家人过程中也更深入地了解了这家人以及整个山村。这也是本文最shock 我的地方，B家人本来是名门望族，因为在消防车转送开幕式上的一件小事而家到中落，城堡公职人员S,瘸腿，个子矮，总之形象不好，看上了B家小妹A，给小妹A写了一封侮辱的求爱信,信以命令的口气要求A晚上独自到绅士旅馆跟S共度春宵。A非常气愤，当着信使的面撕碎信并扔了信使一脸(要是我不打一顿S才怪)。事情发生后，更心痛的是周围人的态度，他们关心的不是女孩受侮辱，而是城堡公职人员被亵渎，B家爸爸由此被解职，全家人被孤立排挤。K和O的谈话被K的助理J打断，助理是未婚妻派遣过来，为了告诉K，未婚妻已经离他而去继续在绅士旅馆工作，并且跟J搞在了一起。此时的K，工作不顺利，未婚妻离他而去，去城堡的希望一次次湮灭。而从城堡述职回来的B带来一个像希望又不是的信息，伯爵的第一秘书在B的死缠烂打下终于肯见K一面，K再次去了绅士旅馆碰见了分手后的F，F发誓不再回到K身边，K孤身一人闯进陌生房间遇见正在睡觉的传话秘书E。此时的K又困又累，被E强迫谈话，最后又困又累的K被第一秘书召见，理由是他们谈话的声音太大，把第一秘书吵醒了。书应该没有完结，卡夫卡城堡的故事到此结束。        说下读此书的自我感受。读这本书是种煎熬，一方面全英文，理解方面可能有偏差，另一方面内容极其枯燥，卡夫卡语言比较晦涩，时而夹杂一些哲学道理。再者，小说情感比较沉闷，给人一种极其压抑的感觉。从小说描写的实物环境来看，城堡比较寒酸，乡村更加寒酸，到处都是又深又厚的雪(snow)，没有温暖。再从描写社会环境来看，城堡的人神秘高傲又荒唐，城堡的影响力无处不在(authority)，村庄的人出于权威的控制下，极其冷漠严肃及排外，凡跟城堡有关的事趋之若鹜。主人公本身非常固执严肃，认死理，但也比较正义，看待事情比较公正。整篇小说只有两个人给了我温暖，一个是信使B，我能感觉他的真心实意，另一个是未婚妻F，我感觉到他对K的爱以及内心的挣扎，其他的人带着一副面具，也包括主人公K。      另外说下我对此书的几个疑问及理解。为什么主人公是K? K是不是就是Kafka的缩写，那么K的故事就是Kafka的故事，从两个可以推断，一K来到山村的时候就说山村跟自己的故乡很像，城堡看起来就像自己的故乡，那么作者或许就是在描写自己的故乡。二，我查过卡夫卡的生平，卡夫卡处于自己父亲权威的影响下长大，而整片文章无数次提到过权威。有人整篇小说批判的是官僚主义作风，这个肯定是有的。如果把K比作卡夫卡，我更愿意把城堡比作卡夫卡的一个梦想，只有梦想是那么的遥不可及却又给人无数的希望，即使希望一次次湮灭。城堡又是权威的象征，每个人都追求权威，权威无处不在，但这种权威卡夫卡触摸不到。K的生活其实就是我们的生活写照，城堡是我们的梦想，怎么努力却无法实现的梦想，我们一次次挣扎，一次次失望，直到又累又饿，直到麻木。    

Finally finished! found my attention wandering too often in his so long conversations. Easily distracted! Who is K? Why is it so difficult for K to get intothe castle which looks quite close! What does that castle stand for!  Who on earth live in it? What's the inner link of the long conversations? What's the writing intention? My answers are not that clear, but I don't thinkI have the patience to take it anymore. Anyway, I like his description of details, which could form pictures in my mind. I just took it as a book to learn language, for which I expressmy sincere apology to Frank Kafka!

2022年4月25日 星期一 祝福早安 天气阴雨 气温16℃ 《城堡🏰》卡夫卡 每个人内心都有座城堡🏰 可是你怎么都触及不到 那就像缥缈的梦想一样 但这城堡还值得存在吗 最近在准备考博的时候 听过大学教授解读这书 卡夫卡的孤独有谁能懂 我们的城堡往何处寻找 我的城堡 我的上帝 他就在那里不离不弃 他就在那里不动不移 当我朝他走一步 他已经向我走了99步 双向奔赴才有意义 愿我奔赴我的城堡 在人的内心深处里 那无法填满的渴望 愿被上帝来填满吧 无论如何他在等你 he meeting with the chairman caused K. little concern, almost to his own surprise.He sought to explain this to himself on the grounds that, judging by his previous experiences, dealing with the Count's authorities was very simple for him.On one hand, this was due to their having issued for his affairs, apparently once and for all, a definite ruling that was outwardly very much in his favor, and on the other, to the admirable consistency of the service, which was, one suspected, especially perfect on occasions when it appeared to be missing.Sometimes when thinking of such matters K.almost concluded that his situation was quite satisfactory, though he always told himself quickly after such fits of satisfaction that this is precisely where the danger lay.Dealing directly with the authorities wasn't all that difficult, for no matter how well organized they were, they only had to defend distant and invisible causes on behalf of remote and invisible gentlemen, whereas he, K.,was fighting for something vitally close, for himself, and what's more of his own free will, initially at least, for he was the assailant, and he was not struggling for himself on his own, there were also other forces, which he knew nothing of, but could believe in because of the measures adopted by the authorities.By mostly obliging him from the start in some of the more trivial matters—and no more had been at stake until now—the authorities were depriving him not only of the chance to gain a few easy little victories but also of the corresponding satisfaction and the resulting well-founded confidence for other, greater battles.Instead they let K.wander about as he wished, even if only in the village, spoiling and weakening him, barred all fighting here, and dispatched him to this extra-official, completely unclear, dull, and strange life.If this went on, if he weren't always on guard, he might one day, despite the friendly attitude of the authorities, despite his meticulous fulfillment of his exaggeratedly light official duties, be deceived by the favor seemingly granted him and lead the rest of his life so imprudently that he would fall to pieces, and the authorities, gentle and friendly as ever, would have to come, as though against their will but actually at the behest of some official ordinance of which he knew nothing, in order to clear him out of the way.And what did that actually amount to here, the other part of his life?Nowhere else had K.ever seen one's official position and one’s life so intertwined as they were here, so intertwined that it sometimes seemed as though office and life had switched places.How great, say, was the power Klamm wielded over K.’s service, which up to now had been no more than a formality, compared with the power Klamm possessed in actual fact in K.’s bedroom.That’s why a slightly more frivolous approach, a certain easing of tension, was appropriate only when dealing directly with the authorities, whereas otherwise you always had to exercise great caution and look about on all sides before each step you took. K. initially found his view of the local authorities very much confirmed at the chairman's.A friendly fat clean-shaven man, the chairman was ill, he had a severe attack of gout and received K.in bed.“So you must be our surveyor,”he said, intending to sit up and greet K.,but he couldn't manage it and, pointing apologetically to his legs, threw himself back down on the pillows.A woman, quite still, almost shadowlike in the dimly lit room, whose small curtained windows made it even darker, brought K.a chair and put it by the bed.“Sit down, sit down, Surveyor,”said the chairman,“and tell me what you want.”K.read Klamm's letter aloud and then added a few comments.Again he thought he felt the extraordinary ease of dealing with the authorities.They bore the whole burden, quite literally, you could leave everything up to them and remain free and untouched yourself.As though sensing this in his own way, the chairman stirred uneasily in his bed.Finally he said:“Surveyor, as you've noticed, I knew about the entire affair.The reason I haven't seen to it yet is, first, I have been ill, and then you took so long to come I thought you had given up the affair.But now that you’re so kind as to call on me, I must of course let you know the entire unpleasant truth.You were, as you say, taken on as a surveyor, but we don’t need a surveyor.There wouldn’t be the least bit of work for a person like that. Yet since they hesitated—the changes in the room must have taken them aback—K.took one of them by the arm to lead her in.But he immediately let her go, so startled was the identical stare that after a brief exchange of glances they fixed on K.“But you’ve been staring at me long enough,”said K.,and, fending off a certain unpleasant sensation, he picked up his clothes and shoes, which Frieda—with the assistants following timidly behind—had just brought in, and dressed.He had always found Frieda’s patience with the assistants incomprehensible, and this was once again so.After a long search she had discovered that the two of them, who ought to have been brushing the clothes in the courtyard, were quietly eating lunch downstairs, the still unbrushed clothes lay crumpled on their laps;then she was obliged to brush them herself, but though she certainly knew how to keep common people in check, she did nothing to rebuke the assistants, treated their utterly negligent behavior as a little joke, and even tapped one of them lightly, and as if affectionately, upon the cheek.K.wanted to rebuke her later for this.But now it was high time to leave.“The assistants will stay behind to help you move,”said K.Yet they weren’t willing to accept this;wellfed and cheerful as they were now, they would have liked a little exercise.Only when Frieda said“You are staying here”did they fall in line.“Do you know where I’m going?”asked K.“Yes,”said Frieda.“So you’re no longer keeping me here?”asked K.“You’ll run into so many obstacles,”she said,“and then what would my words mean?”She kissed K.goodbye and, since he hadn’t eaten at noon, gave him a small package with bread and sausage, which she had brought up from the kitchen, reminded him that he should not come here but rather straight to the school, and accompanied him, with her hand on his shoulder, to the door. little while later there was a light knock.“Barnabas!”K. shouted, threw down the broom, and in a few bounds was at the door.Frieda, startled more by the name than by anything else, looked at him.With his unsteady hands K.couldn't immediately open the old lock.“I'm opening it,”he kept repeating, instead of asking who was knocking.And then he had to watch entering through the now wide-open front door, not Barnabas but the small boy who had once wanted to speak to K.But K.had no desire to remember him.“Well, what are you doing here?”he said,“classes are next door.”“I came from there,”said the boy, looking up at K.with large brown eyes, erect, his arms close to his body.“So what do you want?Quick!”said K.,bending down a little, for the boy spoke softly.“Can I help you?”asked the boy.“He wants to help us,”K.said to Frieda, and then to the boy:“So what's your name?”“Hans Brunswick,”said the boy,“fourth grade, son of Otto Brunswick, master shoemaker, Madeleine Street.”“Well then, your name is Brunswick,”said K.,who now became friendlier.It turned out that Hans had become so upset over the bloody welts the schoolmistress had raised on K.'s hand that he then had decided to help him.Without asking, he had at the risk of severe punishment crept from the other classroom like a deserter.He was no doubt largely driven by such boyish notions.They were matched by the earnestness evident in everything he did.Only initially hampered by shyness, he soon got used to K.and Frieda, and on being given good hot coffee to drink he grew lively and confiding and his questions eager and insistent……

Of the book's writing, it is quite like an unfinished suspense novel, also a delicate artwork that balancing action, narrative and dialogues skillfully. Of the implications, it can be so many, mostly embedded in characters' settings, and the most distinguishable storyline is K's struggle to the Castle.  As we read, we can't help thinking about who's K, what's the Castle, and what do tthey mean? Is it worthwhile to struggle? How to struggle? What kind hardship and goodwill would K come across, are they out of some kind of purposes, and what are the purposes? Then, what's the ending?... As readers, we should always aware that, novels represents a world, all characters have their fates tied together, every tiny action from A would definitely influences lives of B, C and D in a good or bad way. From Franz Kafka's experiences, it's quite predictable he began writing The Castle in his twilight years, to cure his sorrow and save him from solitude, to prove his ever existence, and to yearn for understanding for souls like him.

How to enter the “castle “ by Kafka Land surveyor K was ordered to take office job in a castle, but he was blocked outside the gate of the castle, so K and the castle authorities launched a protracted and tedious tug-of-war on whether to enter the castle. The castle is located on a hill in front of it, but it can't be seen; it is so indifferent and majestic, like a giant beast looking down at K; it represents a huge bureaucracy, which is hierarchical, with countless departments and countless officials, but countless documents are sealed there for many years. It can't be dealt with. Facing this powerful castle, K was very helpless. He did not enter the castle until the end, nor did he see the ruler of the castle. In fact, there are two ways to enter his works. The first way is to look at it in a fable way. The fable way is to use the similarity of things. Kafka's novel is actually very literary. There are often long and boring dialogues in the novel, so many people say they can't understand it, and then they don't willing to read it, so did me. But when I finally got the end of this book, I felt that’s the feeling of life which may boring but you always want to control and enter the life anyway just like the “castle “.