Layers deep into the human brain’s thoughts and feelings, the complex connections with others is unable to be witnessed or measured to precision; however, the neural processes that form those complex connections are observed through one’s actions. The ability to capture those unusual relationships with others, through writing in a science fiction novel, is uncommon for science fiction novels of the middle twentieth century era. Nevertheless, Phillip K. Dick, author of The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, articulates the complexity of human relationships in this psychedelic novel set in the future. An overall theme in the novel of incompleteness mirrors the human relationships depicted by Dick. To express what the interactions amongst the
…show more content…
These characters display their own complexity with one another as they use the drug to get away from the dull life on Mars. Two characters, Sam Regan and Fran Schein, have begun an affair with one another despite both being married to another colonist. Dick’s character development is displayed by Sam and Fran learning how to be with each other by use of Can-D and their discussion as to whether the experience while taking the drug is real or not. Yet, Fran is hesitant to commit to relations with Sam when they do Can-D when she asserts “I think you’re tempting me to do wrong” (Dick 42), but they eventually get together, after their drug experience, in the real world. The fact they still get together, even while not under the influence of Can-D, displays the extent of their relationship; however, Sam and Fran are unable to be husband and wife since they are both married to other colonists who live with them. This part of their relationship is incomplete, leaving a hole in their love affair that resembles the plot of the entire novel where nothing is absolute or completed in the closing chapters. Therefore, Dick has written the novel to have similarities between the overall plot and characters like Sam and Fran leaving confused, yet fascinated with complexity of the plot and the characters instead of a novel in which the characters have …show more content…
Dick mimics the character relationships to wrap up in a similar way to the overlying storyline through a connection of incompleteness and abnormality. Dick’s creation of human bonds goes beyond the normal structure within many science fiction novels that focus less on the characters and more on the plot. Character connections, such as Leo and Roni or Fran and Sam, reveals that Dick had an intent to leave the characters to never complete their bonds with one another to parallel to the unwhole ending to the story. The novel leaves an impression of not having an unfinished part in one’s life, whether witnessed by the numerous relationships between the characters that never quite get what they wish for or the novel not wrapping everything up to a final ending. Therefore, the reader becomes fascinated by the storyline and the complexity between the characters that mirror each other into an overall feeling of
These characters display their own complexity with one another as they use the drug to get away from the dull life on Mars. Two characters, Sam Regan and Fran Schein, have begun an affair with one another despite both being married to another colonist. Dick’s character development is displayed by Sam and Fran learning how to be with each other by use of Can-D and their discussion as to whether the experience while taking the drug is real or not. Yet, Fran is hesitant to commit to relations with Sam when they do Can-D when she asserts “I think you’re tempting me to do wrong” (Dick 42), but they eventually get together, after their drug experience, in the real world. The fact they still get together, even while not under the influence of Can-D, displays the extent of their relationship; however, Sam and Fran are unable to be husband and wife since they are both married to other colonists who live with them. This part of their relationship is incomplete, leaving a hole in their love affair that resembles the plot of the entire novel where nothing is absolute or completed in the closing chapters. Therefore, Dick has written the novel to have similarities between the overall plot and characters like Sam and Fran leaving confused, yet fascinated with complexity of the plot and the characters instead of a novel in which the characters have …show more content…
Dick mimics the character relationships to wrap up in a similar way to the overlying storyline through a connection of incompleteness and abnormality. Dick’s creation of human bonds goes beyond the normal structure within many science fiction novels that focus less on the characters and more on the plot. Character connections, such as Leo and Roni or Fran and Sam, reveals that Dick had an intent to leave the characters to never complete their bonds with one another to parallel to the unwhole ending to the story. The novel leaves an impression of not having an unfinished part in one’s life, whether witnessed by the numerous relationships between the characters that never quite get what they wish for or the novel not wrapping everything up to a final ending. Therefore, the reader becomes fascinated by the storyline and the complexity between the characters that mirror each other into an overall feeling of