Life, The Universe and Everything: Ridiculous Surprises

This entire book so far can be considered surprising, and it is largely due to the Douglas Adams’ writing style. His writing is so ridiculous and humor-based that anything he can imagine, he can write. For instance, the most recent ridiculous occurrence has to do with Marvin, the depressed robot, and a remote planet that grows living mattresses on trees. The mattresses are inherently good-natured and amiable, while Marvin is the opposite. Marvin gets into a conversation with one of these mattresses, and he tells it how he is walking in a circle for millions of years simply to pass the time. This is obviously surprising for the simple reason that is absolutely ridiculous. A depressed robot walking in circles for millions of years having a conversation with a friendly mattress…

Amir's Atonement

Amir has a lot to atone for. He has completely torn Hassan and Ali away from his family for the most selfish of reasons. He framed Hassan for theft and then let him take the blame. He watched Hassan get raped for a stupid blue kite, and then pretended it never happened. He isolated Hassan for no reason, and was jealous of the attention Baba sometimes gave to Hassan.

For all of these things, Amir clearly feels guilty. However, he felt guilty while he was doing these things as well. As he was framing Hassan, he "wondered how and when I'd become capable of causing this kind of pain." (pg 105) While he was doing these awful things, Amir knew that it was wrong. Because of this, atonement would be very difficult (if even possible) for him to reach.

A Preview to Life, The Universe and Everything

The Front Cover

• Life, the Universe, and Everything - Douglas Adams
• There is a comical picture of a planet in a solar system
• It's hard to say what the book is about based on the title. The title describes the broadest possible topics in existence.
  
• Will this book finally provide the question to Life, the Universe and Everything (to which the answer is 42)?
  
• Even though this is the third book in the trilogy, there are still two more sequels. What is left open-ended?

The Back Cover

• No synopsis
• The reviews all talk about how unique and hilarious this book is. It fits with my impressions of Adams' other books
• The back cover only mentions one character, Arthur Dent.

Inside the Book

• Copyright - 1982
• For Sally
• No table of contents, chapters go by number
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
• Adams' writing style is very humorous and spontaneous.
  

Overall Impression
Overall, based on my preview, I think I'm really going to like this book. The humorous writing style that I've seen in Hitchhiker's Guide, and its sequel is obviously present in this book as well. I think the characters will remain the same with a few new minor characters introduced throughout the book. I think a good understanding of the first two books in the trilogy will be useful (but not necessary) in understanding and appreciating this book. By the end of the story, I'd like to know the question to life, the universe, and everything. I'd also like to know if Arthur Dent will ever find a true home, and if Trillian will settle down with Arthur like she should.

Run, Bugsy, Run!

Stationed on the edge of the Amazon Jungle, there wasn't much to keep Private Bugsy entertained. Ever since leaving home three months earlier, he had submitted himself to the quiet life of a lowly Army base maintenance specialist. Fixing sinks, clearing gutters, and, if he was lucky, cleaning off a tank were the only activities available to keep Bugsy's mind off of the swarming mosquitoes and sweltering heat.

Then, one day, Bugsy's opportunity to both keep himself entertained and maybe even shorten his time away from home presented itself in the form of a broken toilet.

"Bugsy!" Commander Jones had yelled, "Fix that damned toiled! I've gotta do my business and I've gotta do it now!"

Bugsy knew what he had to do. Tired of being pushed around, sick of the tropical misery, and fed up with his mind-shattering boredom, Bugsy McBoom-Boom decided to take action.

30 minutes later, Commander Jones emerged from the latrine covered in what looked like melted chocolate, but was undoubtedly something much more digested and much less delicious. With water flowing at his feet and fists held clenched, Commander Jones searched for his new mortal enemy. He was unaware, however, that Private Bugsy was already jogging away from the base and into the jungle, quietly chuckling to himself along the way.

Apathy is the World's End

I have always agreed with the ideas represented in the quote: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing." The quote basically tells us that apathy and inactivity can be just as damaging as direct negative action. This, I believe, is completely true and has been shown time and time again throughout history.

The most obvious example that comes to mind is the Holocaust. The "evil" of Adolf Hitler's plan to create a racially pure Germany would never have succeeded if those who weren't being persecuted had stood up for those who were. But, thanks to apathy and dormancy, millions of innocent people were killed. The good people became part of an evil act simply by doing nothing to stop it.

Without good people in our world, evil would undoubtedly become the standard way of life. What defines good and evil is a whole different blog post, but I think that the overall statement is a sound and logical prediction.

Decisions, Decisions....

Decisions are cliched. The whole topic is cliched (in my opinion anyway). The best way to make a decision is to use logic and reasoning. To use a cliche (to describe this cliched topic...), you can't let emotions cloud your judgment.

When I have a decision to make, I try to use logic. For example, I recently decided which college I will be going to next year. That was a really hard decision. I had to decide where I would spend the next 4 years of my life, what school would give me the best education, where I would be happy, and how much debt I was willing to put myself in, all based on a few campus tours and information pamphlets. So, rather than let my fear and uncertainty cloud my judgment, I used logic to find my best option. RIT ended up being very close to my final choice, but I saw that it was emotions tying me to that school, and Penn State was a better option.

My decisions impact those around me in many ways. For instance, by deciding what college I am going to I am telling my parents that I will be a 3 hour drive from any direct family contact at all times (not necessarily a bad thing from my perspective...). Minor decisions like how I behave also affects my family's feelings and attitudes towards me.

Afghanistan for 33 million

You Will Need:

• 3 cups desert (for texture)
  
• 4 tablespoons religion (for that classic and homey feel)
  
• 3 tablespoons revolution (to counterbalance the religion)
• 2 cups foreign intervention (for structure)
• 1 pinch Taliban (because it's just not Afghanistan without it)

Instructions:
Mash it all together, and mix well. No particular order or technique is required. Bake on 350 for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy!