Abstract
According to twentieth-century existentialist philosophy, the universe as we know it is steeped in senselessness, and the only possible means of survival is the construction of subjective meaning. Douglas Adams’s fictional universe portrayed in his “Hitch hiker” series reflects the arbitrary nature of existence, and the characters dwelling in this narrative space are faced with two existential choices: the one is defiance in the face of senselessness, the other is bleak despair. This article explores the existential choices made by prominent characters in the “Hitch hiker” series. The article distinguishes between and analyses the Sisyphus characters and their polar opposites (or nihilist shadows) in Douglas Adams’s “Hitch hiker” series. Adams’s characters, be they human, alien or sentient machine, all face the same existential choice: actuate individual meaning, or resort to despondency. Characters who choose the first option are regarded as Sisyphus figures, whereas characters who choose the latter are referred to as shadows or nihilist nemeses.
Highlights
Introduction to Douglas AdamsAs an original and resonant satiric voice, Adams is most renowned for his very first novel, The Hitch hiker’s guide to the galaxy (1979), which was developed from a radio series and sparked the composition of several sequential narratives such as The restaurant at the end of the universe (1980), Life, the universe and everything (1982), So long, and thanks for all the fish (1984) and Mostly harmless (1992)
For the purpose of the argument, characters who are conscious of their own absurd struggle and who face the superfluity of existence with defiance are referred to as absurd heroes
Except for Adams’s robotic characters, who will be introduced in much detail further on in the argument, his fictional creatures exist in a world devoid of any inherent meaning
Summary
As an original and resonant satiric voice, Adams is most renowned for his very first novel, The Hitch hiker’s guide to the galaxy (1979), which was developed from a radio series and sparked the composition of several sequential narratives such as The restaurant at the end of the universe (1980), Life, the universe and everything (1982), So long, and thanks for all the fish (1984) and Mostly harmless (1992). Adams’s works are widely regarded as lighthearted entertainment, the Hitch hiker series is underpinned by intricate philosophical dimensions, and reflects Adams’s astute satirical insight into the human condition. He arrives at this by pitting humankind against a meaningless universe steeped in hilarity, if not overt lunacy. In answer to Søren Kierkegaard’s existential question: “if at the bottom of everything there were only a wild ferment, a power that twisting in dark passions produced everything great or inconsequential; if an unfathomable, insatiable emptiness lay hid beneath everything, what would life be but despair?” (Kierkegaard, 2005 [1843]:14), Adams portrays humans, aliens and sentient machines in his Hitch hiker series who either defy the absurdity of existence, or resort to bleak despair in the face of senselessness. Characters who resort to existential despondency when confronted with their own absurd struggle are referred to as nihilist nemeses, the shadows or dark opposites of absurd heroism
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