Week Eight - Sci Fi

How does Dick’s essay (1999; 1964) illuminate his use of Nazism as a motif in High Castle?

Dick’s essay was really interesting. His use of Nazism as a motif in High Castle was highlighted throughout. High Castle, as we know, revolved a lot around the I Ching. However Dick points out that there are also other strong references including Nazism. To me personally, like I have stated in my previous blog, “High Castle has a lot of history behind it such as WWII etc.” So this whole idea of Nazism being relevant to High Castle doesn’t really come as a surprise seeing as it does have a lot of WWII history behind it. One example where Dick references Nazism is right at the start of his essay, “Many moon have passed white man review my book Man in the High Castle, and have commented...on Nazism – which is right and proper, because that is the true topic, far more so than any novel…,” Dick (1964, p.112). He cuts straight to the point on this matter.

Also, the main reason that people have associated High Castle with Nazism is summed up by this quote from Dick himself, “we are still very much afraid, still rightly so very much disturbed, and, as Harry Warner so correctly said, we might identify with the war guilt with the Germans because they're so similar to us.” So all in all, we can relate due to this common factor; fear. “The man in the High Castle illuminates Nazism by highlighting how fear is sub rational.” Dick (1999).

There is this feeling of equality expressed throughout this Nazism motif. Dick goes onto express his feelings in regards to this, stating that “I am not a white man. My German friends are not German, nor my Jewish friends Jew’s. I am a nominalist. To me there are only individual entities, not group entities such as race, blood people, etc.,” Dick (1964, p.117). In reference to Nazism, this kind of sums up how Dick believes that the German’s were not a bad race and that we shouldn’t all classify them to be bad people (i.e. the Nazi’s), because as he realised some of the Germans were just as scared as the Jews themselves and at the end of the day they were all just individuals trying to survive just like everyone else going through the Depression. Also he describes how the everyday Germans actually felt sorry for the Jews, “German citizens poked bread into the sealed cattle cars carrying Jews to their death through the Reich…,” Dick (1964, p.113). He also goes onto say that the Nazis even had feelings themselves, “So even this unman, this thing, reified into the top ranks of Nazi officialdom had feelings,” Dick (1964, p.113). Dick pretty much wanted to express his feelings, you could say, of racism and individualism and how stereotypes need to be broken down and stopped as it can damage lives and create war. This motif is tied nicely into High Castle with its references to WWII when these events were taking place showing also how even though we are different, we can still relate as we do, at the end of the day still have feelings etc. And we’re all human.

According to McKnee, what relationship did Dick’s ideas have to (a) Christianity (b) religion and philosophy in general?

According to McKnee, Dick’s relationship with Christianity, in general, has been highlighted throughout his work. “Ubik itself speaks in the terms of Judeo-Christian theology: “I am Ubik. Before the universe was, I am. I made the suns. I made the worlds… I am the word and my name is never spoken, the name which no one knows,” McKnee (2004, p.5). He also goes onto say that “In nearly all of Dick’s own analyses of Ubik, he begins with a religious interpretation, likening his concept to Christian concepts such as logos and the Holy Spirit.”

One thing that I have taken from this is the similarity between Dick’s choice of words “Before the universe was, I am. I made the suns. I made the worlds…I am the word…” to the likeness of the Christian Bible. If we quickly look to the book of John (the forth book of the Bible in the New Testament) it states this, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In him was life…” It’s quite uncanny how similar the two are. There is definitely a reference to the Christian faith no-doubt. However in saying this, this by no means, can qualify to be evidence that Dick himself was a highly religious man. To me, it isn’t really a big deal whether Dick has used religious references; maybe it just makes for good reading. But whatever his reasoning, there is no doubt that there are biblical references.

Another point which McKnee notes is the numerous references to religion. “And it is to Christianity that most of Dick’s qualifications eventually return… After lengthy discussions of the gnostic idea of an evil demiurge as the creator of our universe, Dick here returns to Christian doctrine: Christ as the world’s sole creator, redeemer and judge… (it was Christ, the real presence of the actual Christ, Dick (1981)),” McKnee (2004, p.31). McKnee also goes onto say that “countless similar comments can be found…” showing that weather or not you like it, Dick’s references to religion and the Christian faith are evident throughout his work.



Reference List
Dick, P.K. (1995). Nazism and the High Castle. In Sutin, L. (Ed.), The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick (pp.112-117). New York: Vintage.

Linklater, R. (Director). (2006). A Scanner Darkly.

McKee, Gabriel (2004). A Scanner Darkly: Dick as a Christian theologian. In Pink
Beams of Light from the God in the Gutter: the sciencefictional religion of Philip K. Dick. NY: U Press of America.