How does Dick’s essay (1999; 1964) illuminate his use of Nazism as a motif in High Castle?
Philip K. Dick seems to me to have been a very open minded man. His views on the Nazis in World War 2 show that he did not support their actions at all, but shows a sort of understanding for the German people. He obviously had a keen interest in the Nazis proving why he illuminated them as a motif in High Castle.
Dick almost seems to view the Nazis as an interesting study, keen to uncover the mysteries of their actions. “We know what they did, we know what their slated ideologies were… but we do not actually know why, in the deepest sense, they – i.e., the Nazis – did it.” Dick did not speak of the Germans in a blaming sense and seems to honor them in a way, “We are still very afraid, still rightly so very much disturbed, and, as Harry Warner so correctly said, “… we might identify with the war guilt of the Germans because they’re so similar to us…””
Dick viewed the Nazis fear of Jews as being very simplistic. “It is sub rational; it is psychological, not logical. Why do some people fear cats or street cats, or redheaded goats?”
In the essay it shows that Dick did not believe all German people to be ‘bad people’, “Even German whores came to the walls of the death camps, hoping ‘to do something for’ those within.
However, he acknowledges that the German people made a big mistake in voting in such a sadistic leader, “Yet, the German people, or a good part of them, better half, voted, legally voted, Hitler into power, and knowing his racial views.”
Dick proves he had a vast knowledge of World War 2 and of the Nazis which would have been why he wrote the ‘High Castle’.
Dick, P. K. (1995). Nazism and the High Castle. In Sutin, L. (Ed.), The Shifting Realities of Phiip K. Dick (pp. 112-117). New York: Vintage.
You draw some interesting inferences from Dick's essay -it would good to include a discussion of the primary text (extracts/discussion of scenes)to enhance your answer. Also don't forget to include page numbers (Dick, 1999, p. 113) after your quotes. I suspect that Dick's essay was intending to support his use of Nazism in his novel by examining its contemporary relevance to the way individuals are stereotyped according to the histories of the group they identify with. Do you agree?
ReplyDeleteHi Zane,
ReplyDeleteYes, Philip K. Dick has obviously a bit different point of view regarding the Nazi in WWII. I would say that Philip K. Dick attempts to make a connection between the ideologies and actions of the Nazi and their psychological issues, for example, fear and/or phobia, behind. His point of view is that we all as human being will have a certain fear and phobia against danger. So no one can blame anybody for being mad. His such claim may be as a result of the fact that he himself had psychological issues.
I do not agree (sorry :/) that Dick actually honours what the Nazi had done in WWII in any way.
Here is a little tip. When quotation is used, it should be 'italic letters' with the quotation marks “…” which you used. I will not mention about the page numbers as the lecturer has already mentioned above :)
I agree with LoveKim, we are all human and no matter the banner most places have had a crack at stealing someones country, even the theme of genocide is a frequently repeated one through history. We maybe Nazis, Jew or any other background it doesn't really matter, I think he was saying that we are all vunrable, all mad, all sick, all dictators and all Human.
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