Theme of Ridiculousness (in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Author's Note: This is the second (and funnier) part of the two.

There is not much worse than Vogon poetry.  I mean you could have your world blown up.  Or lose your towel. But either of these things pales in comparison to being read the third worst poetry in the world, that being the Vogon’s poetry. In the novel A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy the blowing up of the Earth has a beneficial effect on the theme, making it one of ridiculousness.

One place we have evidence of this theme is in one of our first introductions to the infamous Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  This ridiculousness is of course because of towels.  The guide has a few things to say on the subject of towels, which include various uses for such an item, a few things you can trick out of others with a towel, and a quote about one of our main characters, Ford Prefect.  But the simple fact that something so silly could possibly be so vital is simply ridiculous.

Besides the towel incident there are many more ridiculous things throughout this novel.  For example if you were to turn to page 180 in my copy of the guide you would find a computer giving the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Now don’t start doubting me.  The hilarious part of this is not that the computer is giving the answer but what the answer is.  In fact this answer is so ridiculous most people would shut the book right then and there simply to ponder how anything so midblowingly silly could be the Answer.

Now if you haven’t laughed or even giggled a little I believe it is time to tell you who exactly is behind all this.  Not behind the destruction of Earth, but instead its creation.  You see there is one group of small quadruped mammals that have been in charge of your whole life, Earthpeople.  Those mammals are the mice. Yes the squeaking, cheese obsessed, sixties-sitcom-lady scaring mice.  Perhaps I should explain exactly why I find this so ridiculous.  You see if mice are smarter than us, smart  enough even to have their own world separate from ours then that means they might have some of the same things we do.  Imagine mice running for president, or shopping at the super market, or speaking on the idiocy of humans on late night talk shows! It just boggles the mind, and sparks a laugh.

Well I suppose that all that is left is to answer the question all good readers ask at this point.  That question being of course so what. And indeed I must expand that question to answer it.  I ask so what now.  Now that he is free from the cares of small green bits of paper will Arthur accept his new role as an intergalactic hitchhiker? And will he learn to simply roll with the hilarity that will no doubt come his way?  For I believe that I can assure you that so long as there is a galaxy and those who explore it there will be hilarity.  And this is truly no great loss for the readership of this series.  For so long as this series continues there will be an underlying theme of ridiculousness to keep the readers happy and giggling!