Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - TSFBC Discussion: The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick (SPOILERS)

Baraka_Guru · 07-06-2010, 10:35 AM

I generally liked the book, but mostly on a philosophical/speculative level.

I didn't like the writing style. The sentence fragments jarred my sensitivities. Most of the characters were a bit canned, I think. Predictable and cliche in some ways. The characters I did like were Childan and Tagomi, but mainly because of what happens between them with regard to the jewelery made by Frink.

What I did like was how Dick examined the nature of human faith and how unchanging it is at its essence, regardless of outcomes. Sure, the I Ching is a source of faith, but compare that to the alternative: Christianity/the American Dream, or what have you.

I think the most interesting aspect of the book was the examination of authenticity and historicity. I am not familiar enough with American history, or even the history of WWI, to truly appreciate this, but I think this is what Dick was most concerned with. In his alternate world, authenticity is fabricated, as is history. Even with The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, you get a sense of that. "How the world would have turned out if the Axis lost the war" is generally wrong compared to what we know in the real world.

Also, the ending was satisfying to me. The Oracle tells Juliana and the others that the reason for writing The Grasshopper is because Germany and Japan lost the war. It's a bit of a mindfuck. They didn't lose the war. So this tosses the idea of the I Ching and the Oracle into the trash for the reader, and yet, the characters in the book cling to their faith in it. Nothing is authentic, not the Americana, not the Oracle, not The Grasshopper, not The Man in the High Castle (and think of the scene with the Zippo lighter).

The only thing that had the potential for authenticity is the jewelery made by Edfrank. But what happens to that? It becomes appropriated by Childan and the idea of mass-producing it as a good luck charm.

Anyway, that's my general take-away. I'm sure I'm missing a ton. I have a problem retaining things I hear vs. what I read, which is the disadvantage of having listened to the audiobook.

07-06-2010, 10:35 AM	#3 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	I generally liked the book, but mostly on a philosophical/speculative level. I didn't like the writing style. The sentence fragments jarred my sensitivities. Most of the characters were a bit canned, I think. Predictable and cliche in some ways. The characters I did like were Childan and Tagomi, but mainly because of what happens between them with regard to the jewelery made by Frink. What I did like was how Dick examined the nature of human faith and how unchanging it is at its essence, regardless of outcomes. Sure, the I Ching is a source of faith, but compare that to the alternative: Christianity/the American Dream, or what have you. I think the most interesting aspect of the book was the examination of authenticity and historicity. I am not familiar enough with American history, or even the history of WWI, to truly appreciate this, but I think this is what Dick was most concerned with. In his alternate world, authenticity is fabricated, as is history. Even with The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, you get a sense of that. "How the world would have turned out if the Axis lost the war" is generally wrong compared to what we know in the real world. Also, the ending was satisfying to me. The Oracle tells Juliana and the others that the reason for writing The Grasshopper is because Germany and Japan lost the war. It's a bit of a mindfuck. They didn't lose the war. So this tosses the idea of the I Ching and the Oracle into the trash for the reader, and yet, the characters in the book cling to their faith in it. Nothing is authentic, not the Americana, not the Oracle, not The Grasshopper, not The Man in the High Castle (and think of the scene with the Zippo lighter). The only thing that had the potential for authenticity is the jewelery made by Edfrank. But what happens to that? It becomes appropriated by Childan and the idea of mass-producing it as a good luck charm. Anyway, that's my general take-away. I'm sure I'm missing a ton. I have a problem retaining things I hear vs. what I read, which is the disadvantage of having listened to the audiobook. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 07-06-2010 at 10:38 AM..