A comparative study into the techniques employed by Philip K. Dick and Robert Harris in the novels The Man in the High Castle and Fatherland, in portraying an alternate post World War II reality; with an emphasis on the themes of realities and quotidian life in a fascist and totalitarian society.
Both novels show the reader a view of a world where following one of the greatest conflicts in human history, the tables have been turned, with the victorious Allies and the defeated Axis exchanging roles, changing the course of the future entirely. However, each author achieves this through radically different visions: Philip K. Dick portrays a post-World war II reality that is wildly different from anything we could possibly imagine, one where technology and culture can only be said to loosely relate to actual quotidian life of the 1960s. Whereas Robert Harris envisages a world that is oddly familiar to us.…show more content… The pieces Childan is offered interestingly bare more resemblance to actual American folk art of the 1960s than the Japanese or German art popular in this society at the time. On first read these pieces seem to be nothing more than trinkets, nonetheless these trinkets harbour a deeper meaning that can be seen to reveal itself in the effect it has on certain characters. Childan is the most prominent character influenced by Frink’s pieces, with the effect on him being very significant. They allow him to gain a new found sense of pride; through residual nostalgia that reminds him of a brighter past and a love of antiques, he gains an understanding of the shame of cultural inferiority, causing him to no longer stay silent, breaking the monotonous routine of conforming to an oppressive ruling state. This is actualized after he feels insulted by a Japanese acquaintance and