The castle (Das Schloss)

"It was late in the evening when K. arrived. The village was deep in snow. The Castle hill was hidden, veiled in mist and darkness, nor was there even a glimmer of light to show that a castle was there. On the wooden bridge leading from the main road to the village, K. stood for a long time gazing into the illusory emptiness above him."
 
Franz Kafka never completed his final novel – 'The Castle' ends mid-sentence. So we never find out what becomes of K., the most contradictory of Kafka’s characters. One night K. arrives in the village, announcing that he is the land surveyor summoned by the castle authorities. However, here no one is expecting him and K. is turned away. But K. is determined to be admitted to the castle and fights for recognition. Eventually he begins a life in the village, becoming involved in love affairs, quarrels and intrigues. Increasingly, K. is in danger of losing his identity, as who – or what – he is to himself and others remains uncertain, forever up in the air. He tries to gain admission to the castle many different ways, but never succeeds. And so it remains shrouded in mystery: What is the castle and can it ever be reached? The actions and relationships of the villagers alone seem to render it real, like a kind of game or system whose rules they have internalized.