I think this novel is very interesting, but I’m also not
sure exactly how to feel. The element that really catches me the most so far is
the idea of being two people in two different times at the same time. What a
trippy thought! The idea that it is not reincarnation but two separate beings
living in the same person and the same time really made my head spin.
The other idea that really struck me while listening to this
novel was the disconnect between characters and reality. How much of what is
going on is based on reality? It seems to tie in a bit to “A Scanner Darkly” in
those terms. Characters don’t always seem to connect together or to the society
they are a part of in PKD’s works.
The book is very impersonal because it is so out there with what is real and not. There is many times I had to re-read parts of the first half. I am always looking forward to the last half when everything comes together before our eyes. I think it is tricky how much he can vary between topics and just dominate the book completely. PKD can talk about anything and create a world so clear you feel like your there. It is interesting.
ReplyDeleteHis struggle with reality is something that is very apparent in this novel. How he is so disconnected and one part of him can see clearly what is happening, but can't get the message across to the other part of him that is actually "living" life. Woah....that's like his interpretations in his exegesis. The twins- one was born too early and brings chaos to the earth and the healthy one is trying to fix it but hasn't been able to! Hey thanks for your perspective on this- it opened my eyes! =)
ReplyDeleteI agree, the novel is difficult to follow. However, I certainly have experienced the disconnect from reality following a particularly vivid dream, such as the lake-wife dream the narrator in VALIS recounts. In a pre-dawn muddle, just a few days ago, I texted my sister demanding to know where she parked my car. Of course, I don't even own a car, and my sister responded with a very concerned text.
ReplyDeleteMy point is, even with my being a relatively stable individual (I hope) and not having any underlying addictions to illicit substances, my grasp on reality is, at times, as tenuous as Dick's characters.
I haven't really thought of Dicks characters as being disconnected from society until now, but I can totally see it. Some of them start out as the outcasts, while others just develop ideas that violate the norm as the story progresses. Really interesting point!
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