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1. Describe the setting of The Trial. How does the author establish the setting in “The Arrest”?

The Trial is set in an undisclosed city in contemporary times (for when it was written in 1914-1915). The city resembles Berlin. The time period is established by clues, such as the use of vehicles and telephones, indicating that the time period would be around 1915.

2. What is K. doing in the opening of “The Arrest”? How does the narrator describe the reason for his arrest in this chapter?

The novel begins with the protagonist, Chief Financial Officer Josef K., asleep in bed on his thirtieth birthday. "Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested."

3. What is Josef K.’s central plight in “The Arrest”? How does he go about achieving his goal?

K.'s plight is that of every person who attempts to understand the intricacies of life. Each person has his or her own gate to enter. K. wants to enter with success. A very detail-oriented person, he tries to ferret out the rules of his trial so that he may best deal with them in a dignified manner.

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