Das Urteil: Eine Geschichte

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

21593

Title

Das Urteil: Eine Geschichte

Language

de

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In a sunlit spring morning, young merchant Georg Bendemann prepares to announce his engagement to Frieda Brandenfeld via letter to an old friend in Russia. However, upon entering his father's darkened room, he discovers the elder has known of the engagement all along and accuses Georg of betrayal. The narrative shifts from mundane routine to psychological horror as the father delivers a devastating verdict.

Summary up to 500 words

Franz Kafka's *The Judgment* opens on a bright Sunday morning in Leipzig, introducing Georg Bendemann, a young merchant who sits by his window reflecting on an old friend who fled to Russia years ago. Despite the friend's complaints of stagnation and illness, Georg has secretly achieved remarkable business success since his mother's death two years prior. He writes a letter to the friend announcing his engagement to Frieda Brandenfeld, intending to spare her feelings from potential jealousy while maintaining a polite distance regarding the friend's difficult nature. After sealing the letter, Georg enters his father's room, which is unusually dark despite the sunny weather. His father, an old man with failing eyesight and memory, sits reading the newspaper. Georg explains his decision to inform the friend about the engagement but admits his initial hesitation. The father interrupts, accusing Georg of withholding the full truth and suggesting his health is declining. Suddenly, the father collapses or feigns a collapse, claiming Georg has neglected him. In a shocking turn, the father accuses Georg of having a secret lover in Russia and reveals he has been reading all of Georg's letters to the friend. He declares that he has waited for this moment to judge his son, condemning Georg not as a good man but as a devilish one who betrayed their mother's memory. The father delivers his final sentence: he condemns Georg to death by drowning. Overwhelmed by the sheer weight of this unexpected judgment, Georg feels paralyzed. He realizes the absurdity and terror of the situation; the friend in Russia is revealed to be a fiction created by the father's delusion or manipulation. The father stands up in bed, fully alert and powerful, declaring he is still strong enough to destroy his son. Realizing the futility of resistance, Georg flees the room, running down the stairs and out into the street. Compelled by an irresistible force, Georg feels drawn to jump into the river below. As he leaps from the bridge railing, shouting that he loved his parents, he falls into the water. The story ends abruptly with Georg submerged, leaving the reader to ponder whether the suicide was a physical act or a culmination of the father's psychological domination.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Psychology
• Fiction