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Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

 



Book Discussion Questions for October 21, 2023

  1. Hitchhiker's Guide makes fun of a lot of things, but are there any things that this book takes seriously? Are any of the characters treated seriously? Are any institutions (like businesses, governments, or churches) treated seriously? Or is everything made fun of here?
  2. Hitchhiker's Guide is full of digressions and little stories that are set into the larger story. For instance, there's the story of the ballpoint planet in Chapter 21, or the story about Earth that Slartibartfast tells Arthur. Do you enjoy these digressions? Do they take away from the pacing of the story? Did you ever find it confusing to follow the many different plots and digressions going on? Or are some of these digressions just regular flashbacks that fill in information we need?
  3. Who do you think is the most important character in this book? Is there a hero/heroine here? Is there a character that you care about more than the others? Are there any villains? Another way to ask this question is: "Is there a conflict in this book and if so, between whom?"
  4. Adams flippantly depicts the destruction of the planet Earth as a casual, everyday sort of occurence.  Why do you think he does this?  What impact does it have on the emotional development of the narrative, specifically on Arthur Dent?Do you need to know about science fiction to find this book funny or meaningful? Were there any times where you felt bored because Adams was using (or abusing) some science fiction idea? Or is the science fiction aspect not really the focus here? 
  5. Do you feel that this book has an episodic structure, where Arthur keeps facing new problems that are only slightly related to his old problems? Or do you think the book isn't as episodic as some critics say? If it is episodic, does it seem like the episodes are organized in a logical way? On a related note, what do you think of Adams's cliffhangers?
  6. Arthur stumbles through the book getting lectured by a variety of sources—Ford, the Guide, Slartibartfast, Slartibartfast's Sens-O-Tape documentary. Do these sources of info tell us things we need to know? Are they primarily used for comic relief? What would the book be like if Arthur didn't have any guide at all? 
  7. Does this book seem particularly British to you? Is there a particular style of humor that seems British? Does this book remind you of other comedies that you've read or seen?
  8. Adams frequently incorporates absurdist humor into his novel.  Can Zaphod be viewed as a satirical caricature of the bumbling politician?  Are there other allegories throughout the story? (An allegory is a story, poem, picture that can be interpreted to have a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one).
  9. Douglas Adams may be Jokey McJokerson, but in interviews he noted that he wanted things to make sense. For instance, he needed Arthur to understand what people said, so he spent a lot of time thinking about the Babel fish and how he could describe it so it would make sense, both to Arthur and to the reader. But are there things that don't make sense to you here? 
  10. The Heart of Gold's improbability drive features heavily into the storyline.  To great lengths, Adams works to have each scene appear as a bizzare, cynical ramble, yet at the end everything ties together.  Describe how this plot element and the narrative style mirror each other.
  11. Explore the notion of a manically depressed robot.
  12. If you were writing this book today, what changes would you make? Would you want to add in modern technology? Would you want the book to take some sort of side on important issues of the day?Why do you think the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy still resonates 40 years after it was written?  
  13. What is the "ultimate" question in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and what is the answer?  Hint...it is a number!
  14. In your own life, what is your "ultimate question" and are you actively searching for answers or taking a more passive, let life happen  approach? 
  15. Despite being practically...well, worthless throughout the entire story, the fate of the universe (at least in part) falls on Arthur Dent's shoulders.  How do his common, mundane sensibilities help him when the other characters are unable to act?  Do you think the universe needs Arthur Dents to save it?   
  16. How different would the world be, if humans were not the first, nor even the second most intelligent beings on Earth?
  17. DON'T PANIC!  What "towel" do you carry with you and why?

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