The Castle

The protagonist K. arrives at an unnamed village at the bottom of the Castle hill in late evening. The Castle itself is hidden in fog and darkness. K. spends a while on a bridge “gazing upward into the seeming emptiness” (1). K. finds an inn, the Bridge Inn, and is given a space to sleep on the taproom floor, near some peasants drinking beer. He is soon awakened by Schwarzer, the son of the Castle steward, who politely tells K. he needs permission from Count Westwest to stay in the village. K. says he will try and get permission, but the young steward angrily tells him that is impossible at midnight and that he should leave. K. dismisses this comical idea and tells Schwarz and the listening peasants that he is the land surveyor sent for by the Count. He then tries to go back to sleep. Schwarzer uses a telephone above K.’s head to call and report to a Mr. Fritz about K.’s arrival, using a formal and bureaucratic tone and language. When Mr. Fritz calls back upon completing his investigation, it is to tell Schwarzer and all those listening that there was no trace of a request for a land surveyor.