Arturo Archuleta
Ms. Gordon; period 3
9/24/2020
Letter of Life and the Universe… and Everything
Dear, Ms. Gordon,
In this letter, I will be discussing the comical book Life, the Universe and Everything, by
Douglas Adams. After being stranded in prehistoric earth during their last adventure, Arthur
Dent and his alien friend Ford Prefect are finally rescued from their earthly demise by space
traveler Slartibartfast. Slartibartfast then enlists the two to help him stop the xenophobic Krikkit
race from destroying the entire universe. Although very reluctant to the idea of saving the
universe, Arthur and his acquaintances successfully prevent the universe's demolition, by having
a rational discussion with the supercomputer that controls the Krikkit people.
The author’s insights of the characters and certain groups in the book help display many
of his main ideas and messages to the reader. Adams uses the inhabitants of Krikkit, to display
the deeper meaning of the emphasis xenophobia and racism can have on a group's powerbase. It
is revealed in the storyline that the people of Krikkit were very single minded in terms of their
placement in the universe. After discovering there is a vast universe outside of their planet, the
Krikkit’s are unable to comprehend the idea of other species besides themselves, and would
rather destroy it all rather than accept this new knowledge. Similar concepts and behaviors can
be seen all throughout history, and the author's satirical representation practically ridicules and
shows the stupidity of these ideas and behaviors. However, Adams also emphasizes the great
influence xenophobia can have on an individual as a powerful motive. These beliefs manage to
drive the small and insignificant planet of Krikkit to nearly destroying the entire universe and all
life that inhabits it. This shows how powerful this manipulative idea truly is. A block quote that
best captures this insight is the following:
“They saw the staggering jewels of the night in their infinite dust and their minds sang
with fear. For a while they flew on, motionless against the starry sweep of the Galaxy,
itself motionless against the infinite sweep of the Universe. And then they turned round.
“It’ll have to go,” the men of Krikkit said as they headed back for home. On the way back
they sang a number of tuneful and reflective songs on the subjects of peace, justice,
morality, culture, sport, family life and the obliteration of all other life forms.” (p.g 96)
After reading this book, I was quite shocked by the depth of the philosophical and
worldly views the author embeds within the storyline. This book is filled with satire and many of
the author's messages to the reader are portrayed through ridicule and humor. However, after
deeper analysis, I realized that there is a much deeper meaning behind his messages, as they go
beyond humor and are centered around the issues we as humans face.
I felt that the 3rd person omniscient narrative of this book was one of the things that
made it entertaining. Throughout the story, the narrator includes multiple side remarks during
discussions between the characters, which I felt added to the humor of the book. One thing that
did present a challenge to me was the literary language of this book. Because of the purposeful
absurdity of many of the topics discussed by the characters, I found it a bit difficult to understand
some of the parts.
Overall, I think this is a very entertaining and comedical book. The interesting storyline
keeps the reader entertained. It displays many deep and philosophical topics, while still including
humor into the storyline.
Sincerely,
Arturo Archuleta
Rubric:
Proper formatting including paper header, title, greeting, closing. 10 out of 10
Letter demonstrates deep thinking responses to all of the questions above. 20 out of 20 excellent
letter. We have Douglas Adams on our book shelf at home.
Proper writing conventions. 19 out of 20
49 out of 50
