Children

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

The court seems to attract children, from the child who guides K. to the examining magistrate's platform to the precocious girls who lead K. up to Titorelli's studio. Perhaps one of the most arresting images of children is the child in front of Titorelli's apartment building, crying face down in the street and ignored by all. These images of children are critical to creating the general mood of a scene. Seemingly parent-less and abandoned, they highlight K.'s own isolation within the unsympathetic and indifferent system of the courts.