ABSTRACT
Ever since its appearance The Castle has been the subject of numerous exegeses, most of them extremely general and none very convincing. An assumption basic to all of them is that Kafka's effects were intuitive and his symbolism unconscious. The influence of psychoanalysis on Kafka is hardly surprising. By 1912, when Kafka ‘broke through’ artistically, the psychoanalytic movement was in full swing, exploring the mythological, anthropological, and artistic ramifications of its discoveries. Kafka's symbols and hidden meanings manipulate the reader's unconscious. They are part of a hypnotic program. In the Hebrew and Christian traditions one finds the foundation of much of Western civilization. Kafka gave himself the benefit of wide-ranging allusions when he selected representatives of both these traditions. And he presented his favorite contrast, form against spirit: the weighty cerebral tradition of the Hebrews against the mystical spirit of the early Christians.
