Introduction: The point of this story is not to convey any specific meaning, but simply to convey humor. The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy revolves around a number of themes, which are supported by reoccurring motifs. With the use of literary elements and rhetorical devices, the simple (yet absurd) themes of The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy do not only support the science fiction genre, but are primarily absurdly humorous. By analyzing a half page excerpt from the radio script, the literary techniques Douglas Adams uses explain the importance of language to achieve a certain meaning, or in this case, no meaningful moral of the story other than humorous entertainment at all.
Body 1 – Absurdist humor
“…men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri”
Body 2 – Unexpected
“…life was wild, rich, and on the whole tax free”
Body Paragraph 3 – Hyperbole
“Far back in the mists of ancient time, in the great and glorious days of the Former Galactic Empire, life was wild, rich…”
Body 4 – Irony
“…or the sea was just the wrong shade of pink”
Body 5 – Antithesis
“…hyperspatial engineering works were constructed to suck matter through white holes in space”
Body 6 – Intertextuality to Star Trek
“And all dared to brave unknown terrors, to do mighty deeds, to boldly split infinitives that no man had split before and thus was the Empire forged”
Body 7 – Intertextuality to Roman Empire
“…in the great and glorious days of the Former Galactic Empire”
“…Magrathea itself became the richest planet of all time and the rest of the galaxy was reduced to abject poverty. And so the system broke down, the Empire collapsed and a long sullen silence settles over the Galaxy”
Body 8 – Cool vs. Un-cool
“…because no one was really poor – at least, no one worth speaking of”
Conclusion: One of the main codes of The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy is its absurdist humor. With few exceptions all themes, motifs, and literary elements speak to this main code. Ending sentences with seemingly impulsive ideas, or completely un-called for statements is the main technique in which humor is achieved. The rhetorical devices that are used are on one hand ones over- or understating what is happening, always making the scenario quite unbelievable. On the other hand, opposites are often put next to each other in slightly different ways each time, which seems normal when used seldom, but here it is used frequently, increasing the ridiculousness of the story. The Intertextuality is so obvious, and the texts referred to are so well-known, that this seeming intention of the writer becomes too transparent. This insinuated obviousness supports the absurdist humor in The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy.
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