The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1979

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Before You Read

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction and Chapters 1-7

Chapters 8-14

Chapters 15-21

Chapters 22-28

Chapters 29-35

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

How does the narrator characterize the Earth throughout the book? How is the Earth viewed by the main characters (Arthur, Ford, Zaphod, and Trillian)? What thematic and/or symbolic significance does Earth have in the novel?

Consider the role of bureaucracy and bureaucrats in the novel. How are they depicted? What is their wider significance?

Compare and contrast the various characters, who often work as foils for one another. How are Arthur and Ford similar or different? How does Zaphod’s character compare and/or contrast to both Arthur and Ford? What role does Trillian or Marvin play in this dynamic?