The representation of modern men and their absurd manifestations in Samuel Beckett's The Trilogy (1951) and Franz Kafka's The Trial (1925)

The `Absurd? genre has been influenced by various catastrophic changes which grew out of the dark periods of the 20th century that consists of World Wars, The Holocaust of millions and such political turmoils. Various political changes such as Capitalism and Totalitarianism have created Masses and manipulated them with modern technology. In addition to this, the decline of religious faith, lack of communication and mechanical senselesness have all destroyed the reliance on the future world. The postwar period called forth some existential problems such as; alienation, distrust, hopelessness and loneliness. As a consequence of the meaningless circumstance of the universe, Man is alienated both from the nature and himself, his isolation from the incomprehensible world has rendered the modernist writers to depict a grotesque portrait of 20th century world. Related to this, the modernist writings focus on existential themes to depict the absurdity of the world. They have created awareness to overcome the irrationalities by mirroring the existential problems of modern man. Therefore the aim of this thesis is to focus on the characters? absurd situations which are depicted in Samuel Beckett?s The Trilogy (1951) and Franz Kafka?s The Trial (1925), regarding their relations to the absurdity of the universe. As a form of a comparison based on an immanent reading, this study argues the effect of modern age on the mankind and highlights the problem of alienation by presenting man?s quest for the identity in a disrupted world and his determination to `go on? despite the absurdities.