3 ms·

That story hit the nail on the head!

DaiPlusPlus 5y ago
I read it, but I don't understand it - at all. So... it's a short story about a man recounting a book he read that claims aliens are invading the earth while describing a selfless alien woman who donates her body-parts to other people and the story ends with him playing Monopoly... I don't see a story here. I know Philip K. Dick is a celebrated author, so I assume my not-getting-it problem is all-me - can someone please explain it to me?
- shermablanca 5y ago
  Don’t read it so literally. Lots of ways to interpret it. Cultural relativism, correlation vs causation, overconfidence, conclusions in isolation, etc. I think it drags in just a bit too long but it did make me chuckle.
- anonymous_i 5y ago
  same here LOL. Here's my trippy understanding. > I had had enough of the thing. I want to hear no more about it. Let them come on. Let them invade Earth. I don’t want to get mixed up in it. > I have absolutely no stomach for it. The author is finally mutated and someone took his stomach as well ? He did not realize it because, someone stole his brain ?
  - DaiPlusPlus 5y ago
    > He did not realize it because, someone stole his brain ? Daaaaang, I never considered that.
- Trasmatta 5y ago
  The book isn't about aliens, it's an entirely normal book. The main character just interprets every phrase relating to a body part literally, and thinks it's talking about aliens. It's just a humorous short story, not a whole lot to it beyond that.
  - anonymous_i 5y ago
    Thank you. I went back and read the italicized lines only. I got the joke now.
    - squeaky-clean 5y ago
      Don't forget to reread the punchline in the last sentence too ;)
- erwincoumans 5y ago
  If you take English language literally, it becomes alienating. Now take the nail out of that head!
- andi999 5y ago
  He is nitpicking in a funny way that the word 'eyes' was used when 'gaze' was meant.
- kwelstr 5y ago
  Philip K. Dick is having a little fun with a badly written paperback story or novel he must have found somewhere, and writing a cool science fiction story out of it. It is humor. From the preface: "A little whimsy, now and then, makes for good balance. Theoretically, you could find this type of humor anywhere. But only a topflight science-fictionist, we thought, could have written this story, in just this way…."

I read it, but I don't understand it - at all. So... it's a short story about a man recounting a book he read that claims aliens are invading the earth while describing a selfless alien woman who donates her body-parts to other people and the story ends with him playing Monopoly... I don't see a story here. I know Philip K. Dick is a celebrated author, so I assume my not-getting-it problem is all-me - can someone please explain it to me?

shermablanca 5y ago
Don’t read it so literally. Lots of ways to interpret it. Cultural relativism, correlation vs causation, overconfidence, conclusions in isolation, etc. I think it drags in just a bit too long but it did make me chuckle.
anonymous_i 5y ago
same here LOL. Here's my trippy understanding. > I had had enough of the thing. I want to hear no more about it. Let them come on. Let them invade Earth. I don’t want to get mixed up in it. > I have absolutely no stomach for it. The author is finally mutated and someone took his stomach as well ? He did not realize it because, someone stole his brain ?
- DaiPlusPlus 5y ago
  > He did not realize it because, someone stole his brain ? Daaaaang, I never considered that.
Trasmatta 5y ago
The book isn't about aliens, it's an entirely normal book. The main character just interprets every phrase relating to a body part literally, and thinks it's talking about aliens. It's just a humorous short story, not a whole lot to it beyond that.
- anonymous_i 5y ago
  Thank you. I went back and read the italicized lines only. I got the joke now.
  - squeaky-clean 5y ago
    Don't forget to reread the punchline in the last sentence too ;)
erwincoumans 5y ago
If you take English language literally, it becomes alienating. Now take the nail out of that head!
andi999 5y ago
He is nitpicking in a funny way that the word 'eyes' was used when 'gaze' was meant.
kwelstr 5y ago
Philip K. Dick is having a little fun with a badly written paperback story or novel he must have found somewhere, and writing a cool science fiction story out of it. It is humor. From the preface: "A little whimsy, now and then, makes for good balance. Theoretically, you could find this type of humor anywhere. But only a topflight science-fictionist, we thought, could have written this story, in just this way…."