Don't Panic! A study of the Absurd as an Expression of Anxiety and Existentialism in Douglas Adam's "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

Abstract

This essay studies the absurd as expressions of anxiety and existentialism in Douglas Adam's novel "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"; my thesis is that the absurd is the key to understanding the novel. With the help of ideas from mainly Gary Cox and Marilette van der Colff, this essay concludes that Adams emphasizes the nature of anxiety and existentialism by simplifying, exaggerating and pointing at the irrational. Adams discusses how the psyche copes with absurdity combined with free choices and sometimes covers everything in a layer of absurdity to let the reader relate to the issues without getting lost.