Archetypal Struggling Writer

John D’Augustine-Mudd
Mr. Williams
English 12
17 March 2017
The Archetypal Struggling Writer:
A Biographical Analysis Of Philip K Dick and The Man In The High Castle Philip K Dick was one of the most brilliant science fiction writers of the past 50 years, even if he only received widespread renown after his early death. He is the archetype of a struggling writer, his best work, The Man In The High Castle, came relatively early in his long and financially poor career. It is a gripping, alternative history novel about if the Axis Powers won World War Two and right from the start, traditional roles are reversed, white Americans are treated far worse than their Japanese or German overlords and everything you think you know about the past is turned
While writing The Man In The High Castle, Dick was already in the middle of his third wife; he would go on to marry two more after her(Bosky). This constant searching for something meaningful often shows up in his writing. The search for answers, meaning and love is very prevalent in The Man In The High Castle. Especially so in the character of Juliana, she was one of his first female leads and is by far the most important character in the book. Whereas, her ex-husband Frank, doesn’t do much of anything throughout the story besides try to sell some “EdFrank custom made jewelry”, Juliana is always at the forefront, she’s determined to meet the author of the book that shows an alternate reality(Dick 143). Nothing stops her from finally reaching him and getting answers and the revelation that their reality is not the only one. Dick’s search for a female companion can be seen in the same light except that, unlike Juliana, he unfortunately never found what he was looking for. He realized that he had failed in getting what he wanted on a few occasions. For example, at a science fiction conference in early 1972, Dick announced he was in love with a woman he met there; after only a few weeks being together their relationship ended with the woman citing “erratic behavior”. Seeing this slip between his fingers was too much for him and he tried to take his own life on March 23,
One of the most common archetypal characters is that of the philosopher. They are wise and all knowing. In some ways the I Ching(The book most characters consult for advice) represents this archetype. After considerable grilling by Juliana, Abendsen reveals that the I Ching did in fact “write” The Grasshopper book for him(Dick 224). Juliana, the curious one, wonders “why the oracle would write a novel.” and asks him if he ever asked the book why it created one about the Nazi’s losing(Dick 226). Juliana eventually gathers the nerve to consult the oracle about this and you are told that the world based on The Grasshopper Lies Heavy is actually real, which is a ground shattering moment that confirms that there are in fact multiple universes and this particular reality in The Grasshopper is just one of them. This reality questioning moment is only there because of Dick’s many such moments caused by his drug use in his early to mid adult