Week 7 Farish

What does Brown (2001) identify as the central themes and concerns of the novel?

One of the central themes which are found in this novel as well as Dick’s others is altering a character’s perception of reality. Another theme identified by Brown was how different characters are “interconnected”, their actions impacting on each other’s lives (Brown, 2001).  Another theme which is evident is how there is a “what if scenario with a twist”, such as in the book, the impact on the world if the Allies had lost the war (Brown, 2001). The concerns which were addressed in the novel is “the terror of implicit evil”, a sense of being trapped in a world with no hope, describing this world as more of a cage with no key in sight (Brown, 2001). The characters defined as individuals whom mostly seem to be imprisoned in events out of their control and people whom we can empathize with. Through the distortion of reality on this novel, Dick seems to want his audience to question, whether the world they live in currently is authentic.

Brown, E. (2001). Introduction. In Dick, P.K., The Man in the High Castle (p.v-xii). London: Penguin.