Renowned science fiction
writer Philip K. Dick had a gravestone waiting for him from a month after his
birth. His twin sister died at that time, and his parents put up a double
headstone, with one side listing Philip’s name. There was a picture of a cat on
the headstone, which remains unexplained. This was the back story that Dennis
gave us when he presented The Three
Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, by Philip K. Dick. Frank added biographical
information he remembered from reading Dick’s introduction to his book, Golden Man. P.K. lived in poverty with
his wife and was buying cheap horsemeat sold as dog food at a store in the
1950s, when the storekeeper accused the author of buying the meat to eat (which
was correct). P.K. says that he was expecting the storekeeper to accuse him of
having a “bad attitude.” Then P.K. went on to explain that he did have a bad
attitude, being rebellious and often behind on deadlines, even for his
publications. The final important biographical fact Dennis told us was that
P.K. Dick had a mental breakdown, which the author used as the basis for a
novel and the subject of an autobiography, in which he tells about the day it
happened.
No one who read The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
would have been surprised at much of Dick’s biography. The man’s writings were
imaginative and strange, as was the man. The name, “Eldritch,” means strange in such a way that “Eldritch
Horror” is a specific genre that is weird. Some of Dick’s writing was also
somewhat prescient. Although Dick wrote The
Three Stigmata in 1964, there was a strong theme of global warming in the
story: it took place in a future where the environment was very hot and dry,
and water was precious.
For our discussion, Dennis
gave us the gift of a summary of the story. Why was this a gift? The story was
rather complex and parts were convoluted to the extent that it was difficult to
know what was happening to some of the characters some of the time. The story
took place in an imaginary world based on the real world but far-fetched. The main
characters were involved in the business of selling a mind-altering drug and
the physical accoutrements used to enjoy experiencing the drug. There were many
times during the story when the reader was not sure whether the action was
taking place under the influence of the drug or not. Palmer Eldritch was in the
business of selling a drug to compete with the established mind-altering drug,
and Eldritch’s drug seemed more overpowering, perhaps to the point of altering
any imbibers to transform into what Eldritch had transformed into: with the
eyes, the teeth, and the arm.
By somewhat organizing the
story for us, Dennis helped us to be able to consider themes and aspects of the
story, because we were enabled to see how the themes fit together. One theme combination
was the environmental issues and how the extreme environment affected lives and
the willingness of people to escape into the mind-altering drugs. Another was a
religious theme throughout the book, that touched on the communion transubstantiation issue, as to whether Communion is
meant to be symbolic or literal. There was a theme about evolution. In the
book, there was a method of evolving people into the future, where one’s head
would become large, with a thick protective skin around it and with advanced
mental capacity. But, some people who tried to evolve would devolve. The theme
encompassing Eldritch’s stigmata was deeply embedded in the story and
symbolism. Eldritch’s odd body parts, the teeth, the eyes, and the arm, seemed
to be showing up in other characters; and it was left to the reader to
interpret whether Eldritch was a real person or a real or symbolic deity in the
story and whether Eldritch was entering or taking over others’ bodies in a real
or symbolic way or whether others were becoming Eldritch, in a real or symbolic
way.
Cindy V. interpreted Eldritch
as a computer virus and drugs as the opening where the virus could enter.
Pam suggested that Eldritch
was the devil and not of Deity caliber. She said that the drug that Eldritch
was pushing was a temptation by the Devil.
Linda noted that Eldritch’s
drug was comparable to Eve’s apple in Eden in the story of Creation.
Carla said that Eldritch was
evil, but that since the Jewish belief was that the Lord created Satan as well
as everything else, then the Lord created Eldritch.
Dennis said that when
Eldritch was appearing in the story, complete with the teeth, the arm, and the
eyes, he was ethereal and had cast off his earthly body and was not the same
man but something from outer space. (The story incorporated space travel.)
Linda said that Eldritch left
the earth and returned in his new form, perhaps as a Deity.
Pam corroborated Linda’s
idea, noting that after Eldritch returned from his travels and from discovering
the new mind-altering drug, he was never again seen as a regular corporeal
body.
Then the discussion branched
out:
Cindy V. mentioned that the
story contained slang from the future.
I said the story reminded me
of the movie, Groundhog Day,
particularly with Barney seeming to keep going back to various events in his
relationship with Emily, his ex-wife.
Dennis suggested that the
book might have influenced the development of virtual reality, role-playing
games, and various acting-out groups.
Pam said about the
mind-altering drugs, that people enjoyed the original drug, but maybe not the
second one.
Carla said that after Barney
took the second drug, the reader never knew whether he ever came back to
reality. She said time might have been suspended in that drug world. This would
explain the Groundhog Day repetitive aspect
of that drug, too.
Linda reminded us of the part
toward the end of the story when Eldritch asked Barney what he wanted to be,
and it seemed Eldritch had the power to make that happen. Barney said he wanted
to be a stone.
Pam felt that the ending was
happy, because Barney changed his mind, perhaps via a lifting of depression,
and decided to live in reality and not take drugs any more.
Carla said the author might
have meant the reader to have questions.
Frank suggested that the
author might have been suffering from mental illness.
Morna said that maybe the
author was “smoking something.”
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