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Illustrated portrait of Franz

A character in The Trial

Franz

Franz is one of the two warders who arrest Josef in his boardinghouse.

The book

Cover of The Trial by Franz Kafka
The TrialFranz Kafka, 1925

A man is arrested without a charge and trapped inside rules controlled by authorities who refuse to explain them.

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Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Franz is one of the two warders who arrest Josef in his boardinghouse. He is talkative, intrusive, and casually corrupt, taking Josef’s clothing and breakfast while claiming to follow orders. After Josef complains at the first hearing, Franz is flogged in a bank storage closet. The novel does not reveal what happens to him afterward.

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