The super short version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is, well, weird stuff happens to Arthur Dent, regular Earth-person. But the real joy of this book is in the weird stuff; and there's so much of it that we can't even capture it all.
The longer short version starts when Arthur's house gets torn down so a road can be built—and his day goes downhill from there. His friend Ford Prefect is an alien. That's actually the good news of the day, because it's Ford who can save both of them when the alien Vogons come to destroy the Earth to make way for some sort of space road. Ford and Arthur hitch a ride with the Vogon ship's cooks. Unfortunately, the Vogons don't like hitchhikers, so Arthur and Ford get thrown out of the spaceship to die in the cold void of interstellar space, where not even Starbucks exists.
Meanwhile, Ford's semi-cousin Zaphod Beeblebrox and his human companion Trillian steal the Heart
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Zaphod isn't even totally sure why he wants to find it, but that's because his brain doesn't work properly. When he does find the planet, it seems dead—but it isn't. Zaphod, Ford, and Trillian go exploring inside the planet, while Arthur and Marvin are left on the surface. It's then that this dude from Magrathea named Slartibartfast finds Arthur and tells him the truth about Earth.
So, get this: Earth was actually a giant computer created to find the question that would give meaning to life. The people who ordered Earth already have the answer to the meaning of life, and that answer is: 42. The only trouble is that they're not sure what the question is that "42" answers. But they're pretty sure they can get it by chopping up Arthur's brain, since he was a part of the Earth-computer, and he was there at the end.
Arthur and his friends escape—even though the cops are after them after Zaphod stole the Heart of Gold—and decide to go get a bite to
This novel allows the reader to gain many different point of views from narrators within the 34 items in the book. Strange Objects depicts a variety of issues in a perceptive manner, promptly delivering Steven Messenger’s and other characters’ mental states, their character traits and the links between them. In Strange Objects it is clear to see that this novel deserves the awards that it has won, as it is a novel that has an effective way of combining different elements, summoning discussion and analysis of the many aspects within it, and engaging the audience by doing
The man claims he is waiting for Death to take him for some time, and the angered men are enraged by the name Death. The rioters ask where to find Death, and the old man says they can find death under a certain oak tree. The rioters rush to the tree and find gold coins. The men do not want to be taken as thieves, as discover a plan to transport the gold at night. The men direct the youngest to retreat back to town and grab wine. While the youngest is away, the two remaining men design a plan to kill the third to increase their profits. The man in town is also consumed by greed, and he decides to poison the wine. Retreating with the poison wine, the youngest man is killed by the other two rioters. To celebrate, the two men drink the wine. Within minutes, all three of the greedy rioters are dead. After his tale, the Pardoner asked the group for
It’s not books you need, it’s something that once were in books. […] The same infinite detail and awareness could be projected through the radios and televisors, but are not. No, no, it’s not books at all you’re looking for! Take it where you can find it, in old phonograph records, old motion pictures, and in old friends; look for it in nature and look for it in yourself (p. 107).
The effectiveness of this compacted novel is greater than those of a thousand paged. The story within this book is not entirely unfamiliar,
Earth was designed by the computer Deep Thought, who came up with the original answer to the meaning of life. Deep Thought was asked what the purpose of life, the universe, and everything was, and it took 7.5 billion years to come up with the answer 42. However, no one knew what the question to the answer was, so Deep Thought created a computer, Earth, to come up with the question. The process was to take 10 billion years, but Earth was destroyed about 5 minutes before it could reveal the great question (Overview). Just finding this out, Arthur becomes very confused. The planet that he lived on was something completely different than what every human thought it
I was charmed by this film the first time I saw it, and every time since. It was the synthesis of the journey of mankind into the future and an argument for space as mankind’s ultimate destination. It was the best science fiction film I had ever seen, as it presented several different possibilities and scenarios of what could happen as well as what might happen to man in his quest to conquer space. The introduction of the computer as an artificial intelligence was an added plus. The idea of a machine making the same mistakes as any human being proved out in its own statement: that any glitches in its operating parameters had to be due to human error. Given that machines are incapable of emotions like guile, hatred, fear and sorrow, HAL was nearly as emotional as any organic being. This in itself was a glorious foil for man’s ambitions to discover the wonders of deep space.
Adams, Douglas. The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. New York: Harmony Books, 1980. 1979. Print.
...is a story that combines science fiction and comedy into a raucous page-turner that is suited for older audiences. With badinage such as spending a year dead for tax reasons, and the Time Traveler’s Handbook of 1001Tense Formations, the humor and ideas present in this novel appeal more to adults. The zany, eccentric humor may not be for everyone. With the science fiction, futuristic background new opportunities for amusement arise. The jocose, light-hearted mood of this unique farce shows the audience that comicality can come from anywhere.
Accalon for his actions and names Morgan Le Fey as the real culprit and therefore forgives Accalon. After he pleads and cries to the king. Ma...
Walter introduces readers to his characters in such a way that it seems like a movie. He allows the characters personalities to grow as the novel progresses and they intersect with other characters. The main characters are Pasqual Tursi, Richard Burton, Debra “Dee” Moray, Alvis Bender, Michael Deane, Shane Wheeler, Claire Silver, and Pat Bender. These eight character’s stories provide the plot line to the book. Some stories are tragic and others hopeful, but all depend on one another at some point during the course of the novel. Walter shows how peoples lives can intersect...
try to find a way out of the city before they are found and killed by
In the short stories, the Hitchhiker by Roald Dahl and Fresh Bait by Sheryl Clark, both authors entertain us by exploring the relationship that develops between a driver and his passenger. Through the use of their characters experiences, their purpose and audiences, language features and narrative structure, both writers have made us think about how we judge others, often based on their appearances and actions.
The pirates turn angrily on Silver and are just about to attack him when there is a shot from the woods that kills one of them. The Doctor and Ben Gunn then appear and the pirates run off, heading for the remaining long boat left from the Hispaniola.
This turns the story darker, gives a motion of both fear and surprise. This also gives the motion that Ronald Adams is not completely sane. “hitchhikers? Here?” “A guy would be a fool to hitch a ride on these roads.” (pages 1002, 1003 The Hitchhiker) This is just the beginning of the audience thinking that perhaps the hitchhiker isn't actually real. Then Adams actually gets told himself that he’s seeing things “did you see him that time?” “No, I didn't see him that time and I don’t expect never to see him!” (page 1008 of The Hitchhiker)
'The Hitchhiker' by Roald Dahl is a short story that involves an interesting character. The writer makes this character very realistic. When I read this story I found the character had many good points but also many bad points.