A Study Guide for Douglas Adams's "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (lit-to-film)"

By Gale and Cengage

A Study Guide for Douglas Adams's "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (lit-to-film)", excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Novels for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Novels for Studentsfor all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: Mar 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781535845656

Book preview

17

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (lit-to-film)

Douglas Adams

2005

Introduction

Douglas Adams's 1979 novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was based on a quirky BBC radio series inspired by his trip to Austria years before: he had been lying in a field outside Innsbruck with his copy of Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe, by Ken Welsh. Gazing up at the stars, Adams thought that a guide to the entire universe was an even better idea. The original radio show, a short-lived television adaptation, and especially the book series became cult favorites, much like Monty Python's Flying Circus and Doctor Who, British television shows Adams worked on that share some of the same humor and spirit as The Hitchhiker's Guide.

The 2005 film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, directed by Garth Jennings, pleased some and frustrated others—an adaptation rarely satisfies all fans of a much-beloved book. However, the movie undeniably captures Adams's irreverent humor and portrays his wacky cast of characters in interesting ways while satirizing the human condition, leading viewers to question their own place in the universe.

Plot Summary

The film opens with a sequence of dolphins swimming and leaping. A voice-over—the voice of the title's guide—explains that dolphins are more intelligent than humans and have been trying to warn people about Earth's imminent destruction to no avail. When humans dismiss dolphins' efforts at communication as cute tricks, the dolphins decide it is time to leave.

Arthur Dent wakes up one morning to find a bulldozer and a crowd of workers in his front yard, ready to demolish his house to make way for a bypass, though there is wide open space in every direction. He rushes out to lie down in front of the machine to protect his house while he tries to get in touch with someone who can cancel the order. While Arthur deals with the mess of bureaucracy on the phone, a bureaucrat, Mr. Prosser, arrives in person, trying to persuade him to move out of the way.

Arthur's friend Ford Prefect arrives, pushing a shopping cart full of peanuts and cans of beer. After passing out the drinks and snacks to the workers, Ford leads Arthur