Savannah - (Science Fiction/The Man in the High Castle)

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

Phillip K. Dick’s “The Man in the High Castle” shows an idea of what it would have been like if there were an alternate history of North America after WWII, if the Nazis won the war. According to Brown (2001), “The Man in the High Castle” is but an illusion that other worlds may exist. He describes a key theme as being the perception of reality and how it changes for the characters in the novel. We also see that two of the main characters were given the same I Ching at the end of the novel, that being inner truth. This gave them sense and hope that there could be an existence of greater living. However Brown (2001) states there is no clear resolutions in “The Man in the High Castle”. Dick liked to have a “what if” scenario to give a better twist to his stories including this novel. In this case his leading idea was “What if the Allies had lost the war?” and “How would this effect the ordinary person?”. This idea is what made the book so popular among fans. The novel has been made into a TV series this year (2015) and has already released a few episodes. While doing this novel I watched the first 2 episodes and found it well captured the ideas and aesthetics dick was portraying in the novel. The characters are exactly how he described in the novel as well as the setting and main themes and concerns. I Ching is something that also bases the whole story. This is because in this alternate North America, the Japanese brought in the use of I Ching, the ancient Chinese book of divination stated by Brown (2001). This created characters such as two main ones being, “Juliana” and “Tagomi” to seriously follow the I Ching, and it carved the way they thought and believed. Brown (2001) says that Juliana uses the I Ching as more of a direction rather than a spiritual motivation. Yet through her actions we are given a vision of the truth which is the crux of the novel. A main concern in the novel is between “Juliana” and “Joe”. This is how she discerns his true intentions according to Brown (2001). It causes confrontation between the characters as “Joe” is twisted in two lives, one being against the Nazis, and the other being one of them. “The Man in the High Castle” provides us with a view into another world, a reality we are given to compare with our own. Brown (2001) says it is perhaps Dick’s most greatest science fiction achievements.

References:

Dick, P.K. (2001; 1962). The Man in the High Castle. London: Penguin. 

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

Spotnitz, F. (2015-). The Man in the High Castle (TV Series). Scott, R, Semel, D. USA, Amazon.com.