The Man In The High Castle Analysis
The Man in the High Castle is an alternative history novel written by Philip K. Dick and published in 1962. The novel takes place in a dystopian version of the United States, where the Axis powers won the second world war and the U.S was split between the Japanese and the Germans. The Germans took the land east of the Mississippi River and the Japanese took the west coast, leaving a neutral zone in between the two new superpowers. The main reason the book gives for why the Axis powers won the war is that in 1933, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt was assassinated. This led to a weaker United States and eventually a defeat at the hands of the Axis. In this universe, the Holocaust is expanded even further, concentration camps are built
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It provides us with intriguing characters who faced constant challenges that could result in either their death or the death of others. Tagomi's character specifically is one of the most interesting of the protagonists. He has visions about the alternative world where the Axis powers lose the war. The visions make it almost seem like he is looking into the reader's world the same way we look into theirs. Juliana's encounter with the author of The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, also known as “The Man in the High Castle”, makes Tagomi's experience more interesting, since the I Ching hints at his visions being somewhat true. One powerful statement that the book portrays is told by Wyndam Matson, he says, ‘“One of those two Zippo lighters was in Franklin D. Roosevelt's pocket when he was assassinated. And one wasn't. One has historicity, a hell of a lot of it. As much as any object ever had. And one has nothing. Can you feel it?" He nudged her. "You can't. You can't tell which is which. There's no 'mystical plasmic presence,' no 'aura' around it."’ (Chapter 5). This quote explains how an object can have more historical importance just by it being part of a larger historical event, even though it has no physical difference to the same object that has no historical context. This quote shows us that history is subjective to some people, especially Wyndam Matson. Although very thought-provoking, dialogues like these are often overshadowed by the events that led up to the events in the
It provides us with intriguing characters who faced constant challenges that could result in either their death or the death of others. Tagomi's character specifically is one of the most interesting of the protagonists. He has visions about the alternative world where the Axis powers lose the war. The visions make it almost seem like he is looking into the reader's world the same way we look into theirs. Juliana's encounter with the author of The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, also known as “The Man in the High Castle”, makes Tagomi's experience more interesting, since the I Ching hints at his visions being somewhat true. One powerful statement that the book portrays is told by Wyndam Matson, he says, ‘“One of those two Zippo lighters was in Franklin D. Roosevelt's pocket when he was assassinated. And one wasn't. One has historicity, a hell of a lot of it. As much as any object ever had. And one has nothing. Can you feel it?" He nudged her. "You can't. You can't tell which is which. There's no 'mystical plasmic presence,' no 'aura' around it."’ (Chapter 5). This quote explains how an object can have more historical importance just by it being part of a larger historical event, even though it has no physical difference to the same object that has no historical context. This quote shows us that history is subjective to some people, especially Wyndam Matson. Although very thought-provoking, dialogues like these are often overshadowed by the events that led up to the events in the