HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy is without a doubt in my mind a book of absurdity. Looking at the famous quote ”Don’t panic.” ”I’m not panicking!” ”Yes you are.” ”All right so I’m panicking, what else is there to do?” perfectly describes the genius of Douglas Adams and his absurdity. Beginning with the fist line said by Ford “Don’t panic”. Throughout the book, our characters especially Arthur, are thrown head first into beyond absurd situations. From his planet being destroyed to build a hyperspace bypass,to seeing the missiles that are about to kill you turning into a bowl of petunias and a sperm whale, to surviving to the chance of two to the power of two hundred and sixty-seven thousand seven hundred and nine to one against. The book and its characters try to create a false sense of reason for the reader and for the other characters. …show more content…
This is the normal response for someone who can’t explain to himself what is going on and thus have no understanding of the current situation. For a book based upon absurdity this is extremely common for Arthur, who more than likely can’t come to terms with any of the things that have happened to him after the earth's destruction. Ford being the emotionally overlooking person has the common response to this panic with the reply “yes you are”. This type of counter statement is made more than once throughout The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It shows that when the situation is attempted to be understood, the Absurdity of the book flips this back around and exposes the