The Castle has come to represent for many critics the image of state-controlled power, the abuse of which characterized the many dictatorships which ruled European countries both before and after the Second World War. Considering that Kafka wrote the novel without experiencing directly this sort of grindingly-oppressive, widespread state oppression suggests that perhaps he had something much more personal in mind. The issues of freedom and responsibility once again take a central place in the narrative and help shape the story. All of Kafka's novels remained unpublished at the time of his death so he was denied the opportunity to see them through the final stages of their composition. This may help to explain the incomplete nature of the works. It is something any reader must take into account when reading and trying to interpret Kafka's longer fiction.

1. In what ways does the "castle" represent the...