The ultimate simplicity: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Have you ever experienced that weird what-if moment? You know you’re watching tv and an odd thought pops into your mind:  What if snow is just dandruff on the giant we live on? What if a machine burrowed from the ground and flooded the air with water? What if the world is really in a fishbowl?

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy conveys that sleepy, somewhat drunken philosophical feel as it asks its what-if: What if someone demolished Earth to build a highway because our leader was too distracted to notice? Well, some people can hitchhike off the planet. There is such a thing as death by poetry, and a whale can fall from space. The story embraces an appealing “there’s no wrong answer” so just enjoy it attitude.

And I enjoy the story because, despite the wild what-ifs, the story remains familiar—ridiculously convoluted bureaucracies, poetry so bad it feels like death, homesickness—while mixed in with the unexpected.

Courtesy of https://www.syfy.com/

Part of this story’s appeal—aside from the drunken speculation—is its simplicity spread across a broader canvas. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the plot is simple: an average man reluctantly travels with friends after his home is destroyed. The characters traverse the galaxy, even traveling to the end of the universe, but most of the characters and locations are commonplace as there’s nothing particularly special about Arthur, a guy hesitant to explore the world (more people live within five miles of their birthplace than people who move out of state) or Trillion, a woman who longs to travel (the most common interest on dating sites). Even Ford is “an average” Joe writing about his travels, a common practice on today’s Earth (Pick a YouTube travel vlogger), and the president of the universe of questionable character signed a document without reading it first (Privacy policies, anyone). Even the most important item to have while traveling is something everyone in the world has. 

So, these people are relatable, but the situation is hilariously unexpected.

Still, the story’s questions and possibilities take The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy from ridiculous to thought-provoking.

Courtesy of https://blogger.googleusercontent.com   

At its base, the plot offers what-if questions. What is a supercomputer answered the ultimate question in the universe? Well, we’d receive an answer that we don’t understand because the question is more important than the answer. (huh) 

What if the universe was an overly complicated governmental bureaucracy? Then, we can either step out of line or waste our lives waiting rather than doing. (oh, wow)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy asks questions people jokingly consider—What is the most useful item to have? Who is the smartest throughout the land? Are we the experimenters or the test subjects? Why are we so anxious?

The author’s answers are fun and unexpected. They keep the story light but draw the reader back to the bigger ideas (ahem, philosophical ideas) inferred amid the dry humor—Do we value what we have? Why do we hesitate at the opportunity? Is travel valuable when there’s no home to return to? Why are we here?

Without overwhelming people, the combination of humor and philosophy allows these ideas to dig into the readers’ minds and encourage us to revisit them.

So, what is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy's ultimate answer? It’s simple advice that everyone can use: Don’t panic; live, but carry a towel.

The ultimate question is still loading.

Courtesy of https://lemonly.com/blog/celebrating-douglas-adams-on-towel-day