The book series written by British writer and comedian
Douglas Adams is one of the best works of fiction that I’ve ever read. I think
of myself as a person with a simple and open sense of humor, and yet I had
never laughed out loud by anything that was written. I can laugh at jokes when
they are told or at funny situations in movies and games, but books were just
not my style. Maybe because while reading I would catch glimpses of the lines
that followed and I would get the punchline before it was delivered or similar
unfortunate events. But that is not the case with The Hitchhiker’s guide to the
Galaxy. Throughout all its 300 or so pages, I was hooked and almost cried tears
of laughter at several points in the book. This is the second time I’ve read it
in 3 years and it still was a blast with tons of jokes and situations that seem
timeless.
I think the reasons for this novel to have such and amazing
and big cultural effect on people is how it can combine creative technology,
events, aliens and settings along with traditional and timeless annoyances of
life. Things as simple as bureaucracy, taxes, extreme capitalism, antipathy, depression
and general communication problems seem just as funny and relatable whether it
means to deal with the government and the restructuring of your house or an
entire alien species wanting to destroy the Earth and all its inhabitants for
the creation of a galactic highway. While Arthur acts and feels like a stranger
in a strange land, learning to cope with everything around him changing,
generally for the worse, by just accepting it and not asking too many
questions, all of the other characters seem to understand as little of
everything as he does, only putting a mask of fake acceptance just to keep appearances,
specially Zaphod Beeblobrox.
I think this book has a very important lesson about life (the
universe and everything): When everything around you seems strange and that it
is out of your control, generally making your existence dreary, the best thing
you can do is laugh about it.
