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Illustrated portrait of Willem

A character in The Trial

Willem

Willem is the larger and more self-assured of the arresting warders.

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

Willem is the larger and more self-assured of the arresting warders. He helps explain that low-level officials do not know the charges and are assigned only to guard defendants. He is punished beside Franz after Josef’s complaint. His fate after the flogging scene is not given.

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