The Guide

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy takes place in the present. The setting is in space and mainly on the Heart of Gold and Magrathea. The story revolves around Aurthur Dent. He was a simple Earthman who finds out his best friend is an alien and that the Earth is going to be destroyed. This isn't a book about saving the Earth but rather one crew's journey throughout the cosmos.

Themes

Major themes

• Confusion
• Communication
• Don't Panic

Minor Themes

• Awareness
• Sympathy

Motifs

• The Hitchhikers Guide
• Meaning to life
• self-advancement
  

Purpose

Douglas Adams big purpose was to show how communications between humans is much like wondering into the depths of space. His main inspiration was his own travels around Europe. He said the everywhere he went, either everyone was def or couldn't use proper English so it strained him. He used a humorous style in his novel in order to convey the matter in a lighter mood.

Allegory to what?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is an allegory to human communication and travel. Many creatures and objects point to this but none like the actual guide. The Guide is supposed to be like a normal tourist guide to a state or country.It states facts about the people and what they are like, why the location or device is important, and how to handle some situations. Another example is the leech thing that Ford put in Aurthur's ear. It would translate unknown frequencies, much like a translator. Without a translator, we wouldn't understand much of another language so we employ one to help us throughout our travels to foreign countries.

Meet the Characters

Author Dent - Author Dent was an average Earthman. The story begins with him laying in front of his house in order for it not to be destroyed. Through out the story, however, he is revealed as a very clingy person who just can't let the past go and questions everything. Though Dent is a key factor to the Universe, his complaining and bickering gets him into more trouble with the ships captain then actual peril.

Ford Perfect - Ford Perfect is a key character to this story. He saves Author's life and brings him along on to a alien ship. He was an author for a guide, but not any guide, he was an author to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Though Ford is the passivist of the story, he shows his worth and helps Author and the crew get out of a pinch.

Zaphod Beeblebrox - The Captain of the Heart of Gold, or at least the man who stole it, is the man who acts without thinking. He really is the guy who gets everyone in a mess because he was not only the President but also a thief and trickster.

Trillian - Trillian, formerly Trisha Macmillan, was an Earthgirl. She left Earth months before its destruction and learned how to function in space. Trillian is the most level-headed character in the novel and the smartest. She maintains the Heart of Gold and knows the most about the ship.

About the Author

Douglas Adams was born on March 1952 in Cambridge, England. He was educated at Essex and St. John's College, Cambridge and graduated with a Bachelors, and later a Masters, in English literature. He published many works but none as acclaimed as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Hitchhiker's series brought him phenomenal success and he won three Golden Pans and nomination for Best of British Young Novelists award. He has sold over fifteen million books world wide and founded The Digital Village, a digital media and internet company. He directed a CD-ROM game called Starship Titanic and won a Codie and BAFTA-nomination. In May of 2001, he died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 49. Prior to his death, he was working on the screenplay for a film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.