Trial by Jury

This month for our book list, I though that it would be appropriate to talk about three books that have to do with the law. The three books that I have chosen are quite different, each has a different view of a trial, but they are all three very interesting. They are:The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Trial by Franz Kafka, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

The Brothers Karamazov was written in 1880 by one of the, arguably, greatest writers in Russia. This book, his last, is the story of four brothers and the murder of their father, a despicable man. One of the brothers goes on trial for the murder, and without giving too much away, the culprit is revealed. What I liked about this book, and most of Dostoevsky’s books, is that he is able to give his characters ideas about morals, ethics, religion, and love and then put those characters into situations that display these ideas so realistically that it’s surprising that they don’t just walk out of the book and into real life. Just be sure to find a good translation.

The Trial was written in 1920, but was lucky to be published at all. Kafka told a friend to burn all his manuscripts after he died, but his friend published them instead. The Trial is a scathing mockery of the justice system of his time and country. This book is about a man who is put under arrest, for what he doesn’t know, and follows him as he tries to make sense of the path that his trial is taking. It’s a dark book that doesn’t see lawyers or the court systems favorably, which is funny (or perhaps not) because Kafka himself studied the law. It’s a book that can make us grateful for the justice system today because it could be a lot worse.

To Kill a Mockingbird was written in 1960, the time of civil rights, which is appropriate because the trial in this book deals with race. One man is accused and on trial for doing something that he clearly didn’t, all because of the color of his skin. It’s a beautiful look at the injustice of hate and the acceptance of people regardless of race, religion and wealth. Most people have read this, so I’ll keep it brief, but as a side note, Gregory Peck won and academy award for his portrayal of Atticus Finch in the movie.