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The Average Day

The novel The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is about a man

named Arthur and his alien best friend named Ford. The novel starts off with the Earth and

everyone in it getting destroyed by a race of aliens called the Vogons, but luckily both Arthur and

Ford get saved and are taken into space. The rest of the novel is about Arthur and Ford facing

new threats and challenges in space while also meeting some new friends along the way.

Although The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction novel and not everything in

the novel is real such as a Babel fish, Douglas Adams does a good job of implementing the

average day. What I mean by the average day is Douglas Adams actually makes the

characters in the novel do actions humans usually do on a daily basis.

When the novel first starts off Adams already starts with an average day action. Arthur,

Found his slippers, and stomped off to the bathroom to wash. Toothpaste on the brush - so.

Scrub. Shaving mirror - pointing at the ceiling. He adjusted it (Adams 2). Although this may not

be a suspense or thrilling intro this makes the reader connect with Arthur which is another form

of catching the readers attention. Since the book starts off with actions most people do every day

they can put themselves in Arthurs shoes right from the start of the book or get a bond with him

based on the similarities they both have in common just off the first paragraph of the novel. As I

stated earlier although this intro isnt the most exciting, when novels start off with a lot of action

most readers havent been in a situation which they can relate which doesnt let them connect to

the novel right from the beginning.

Another example of the everyday is when Ford convinces Mr. Prosser to lay in front of

his bulldozer to stop Arthurs house from getting destroyed. Although Arthur doesnt trust Mr.

Prosser from protecting his house he asks Ford if he trust Mr. Prosser. Ford replies, Myself Id
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trust him to the end of the Earth, said Ford. Oh yes, said Arthur, how fars that? About

twelve minutes away, said Ford, cmon, I need a drink (Adams 8). This states that Arthur

already being stressed out that his house might get demolished is now even more stressed finding

out that the Earth might get destroyed too. So he does want anyone else would do when theyre

stressed out, he goes to get a drink. Adams uses the same technique as before in this part of the

novel to get the readers attention and to make them connect to the characters by making the

characters do something the reader would do when stressed. Even though we luckily havent

gotten to experience how stressed out we would be knowing the Earth is going to get destroyed,

some can relate to losing a house or being evicted from your home like Arthur which is

something that can happen in a random point in time.

After the drinks and Mr. Prosser not defending Arthurs home and actually destroying it

the Vogons arrive to Earth. The Vogons destroy the Earth and everyone in it, but Dentrassi saves

Ford and Arthur. Dentrassis are, A wild but pleasant bunch whom the Vogons had recently taken

to employing as catering staff on their long haul fleets (Adams 18). Adams made the Dentrassis

to make cooks and chefs even into the book to show that everyone needs to eat, so what if they

work for the Vogons they get paid really good. Just like how chefs in real life get paid and most

dont pick who they work for just like the Dentrassis.

Another example is when right after they get saved. While they are on the ship the Vogon

Captain starts speaking through the intercom. Ford tells Arthur he must put the Babel fish in his

ear so he can understand what they are saying. The definition of the Babel fish according to the

guide is, The practical upshot of all this is that if you stick a Babel fish in your ear you can

instantly understand anything said to you in any form of language. The speech patterns you

actually hear decode the brainwave matrix which has been fed into your mind by your Babel
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fish (Adams 22). Even though I stated earlier the Babel fish isnt real and Im talking about

Adams use of the average day, although the Babel fish doesnt exist what it does is something

millions of people use every day, it translates. The translator has made all of our lives easier and

more efficient. It helps us communicate easier with one another and plus if it wasnt in this novel

almost every line would be "Howl howl gargle howl gargle howl howl howl gargle howl gargle

howl howl gargle gargle howl gargle gargle gargle howl slurrp uuuurgh (Adams 22).

Arthur and Ford are eventually captured by the Vogons and were forced to listen to poetry

then were thrown out the ship. While in space and on the brink of death another passing ship

passes by and saved them. Zaphod and Trillian; his human companion, order their robot servant

Marvin to go get the two intruders, "What do you want me to do?" "Go down to number two

entry bay and bring the two aliens up here under surveillance." "Just that?" he said. "Yes," said

Trillian firmly. "I won't enjoy it," said Marvin. Zaphod leaped out of his seat. "She's not asking

you to enjoy it," he shouted, "just do it will you?" "Alright," said Marvin (Adams 34). Marvin

as you can tell from this quote doesnt really get respected. No one ever listens to him and

everyone is always shouting at him no wonder hes depressed all of the time. Marvin can be seen

as the average day because we all do stuff for others or ourselves on a daily basis. Although we

wouldnt really expect robots to have feelings; well at least we dont think they do, the way

Marvin acts and gets treated is a way most of us get treated or feel once and a while. Adams also

made his name simple so more readers can connect and relate with Marvin.

After Arthur and Ford are taken to Zaphod and Trillian, After talking for a while Arthur

and Ford and given cabins to rationalize their thoughts, Trillian couldn't sleep Zaphod

couldn't sleep Ford couldn't sleep Arthur slept: he was terribly tired (Adams 42). Adams

does a really good job on showing the average day in this part of the novel. After they all meet
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most of the characters cant sleep; Trillian is upset and devastated about the Earths destruction,

Zaphod is remembering stuff from his past which he had forgotten, and Ford is too excited about

traveling again that he cant sleep. This is something everyone can relate to. When we are either

worried, sad, mad, excited, etc. you cant stop thinking about it even when you are trying to sleep

which is what the other characters are going through; and then there is Arthur who was too tired

and slept. Its something we all experience every day.

After Arthur woke, Zaphod and Ford were arguing if the ship was by the mythical planet

called Magrathea. They spent a good while arguing and thats when Arthur noticed something

was off, Arthur blinked at the screens and felt he was missing something important. Suddenly

he realized what it was. "Is there any tea on this spaceship?" he asked. (Adams 45). This may

not be something us in America usually do, but this is something the British do every day which

is where Douglas Adams is from. The British need to drink tea at every time of day: breakfast,

lunch, and dinner. Tea to the British is probably like coffee to the Americans its something most

drink every day and cant live without.

Although this isnt the end of the novel these quotes are just some of Douglas Adams way

of showing the everyday in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. His use of the everyday lets

the novel connect with our society. There are those who are always stressed, always working,

always depressed, etc. its the way our cities work. This novel also talks a lot about politics an

example is right when the novel starts off the city wants to demolish Arthurs house to create a

bypass for the benefit of others. The Hitchhikers Guided to the Galaxy even shows how people

contribute to the city by buying stuff such as drinks and tea on a daily basis which gives jobs and

money to workers and the city. The way he uses the average day in the novel lets the reader

connect to either a character and/or the novel.