Embracing the Other : Race, Redemption, and the Black Other in Title the Life and Works of Philip K. Dick( 本文(Fulltext) )
Author(s) RUSSELL, John G.
Citation [岐阜大学地域科学部研究報告] no.[23] p.[43]-[65]
Issue Date 2008-08
Rights
岐阜大学地域科学部 (Faculty of Regional Studies, Gifu Version University)
URL http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12099/23946
※この資料の著作権は、各資料の著者・学協会・出版社等に帰属します。 岐阜大学地域科学部研究報告第23号:43-65(2008) 43
EmbraclngtheOther:RaceIRedemptionIandtheBlack OtherintheLifbandWorksofPhilipK･Dick
JohnG.Russell
(ReceiγdJqne30,2(X膚)
Therelssomeofmeinyou･
EldonTyre11,Bkz(おRunYW
Whenthewhitesfbelthattheyhavebecomemechanizedtheytumtomenof COlorandaskthemforalittlehumansustenance.
uopoldSenghorl
Ifyoudenyanya爪nitywithanotherpersonorkindofperson,ifyou declareittobewhollydiffbrenth)myOurSelf-aSmenhavedonetwomen, andclasshasdonetoclass,andnationhasdonetonation一-yOumayhateit Ordeifyit;butineithercaseyouhavedemieditsspiritualequalityandits humanreality･Youhavemadeitintoathing,tOWhichtheonlypossible relationshipisapowerrelationship･Andthusyouhavefatal1yimpove丘shed yourownreality･Youhave,infact,alienatedyourself. UtsulaK.LeGuin2
I
Beforehisdeathin1982,PhilipK･Dickproducedanimpressivebodyofliterature thatinterrogatedquestionsofwhatitmeanstobehumaninalonely,depersonalizingand dehumanlZlngWOrld,thesuqectivenatureofreality,therelativityofdeviance,andthe
Laingeanknotsofexistentialdespalr･Virtuallyunknownoutsideofthesciencenction genreduringhislifetime,manyOfDick-sgenreworkshavesincebeenreissuedbym句Or
AmericanandBritishpublishers:aCOmPlete丘ve-VOlumecollectionofhisshortstoriesand
1LiopoldSenghor,CitedinFrantzFanon,BhzckSkinⅥ勃iteA血sks.NewYork:Grove P托SS,1!裕7,129. 2ursulaK･LeGuin,一tAmericanSFandTheOther."InTheLanguageqftheNight.New York:HarperCollins,1989,95. 44 JohnG.Russell
anve-VOlumeco11ectionofhislettershavefbundprint･In20uytheLibraryofAmerica
publishedacollectionofDick,sscience丘ctionnovels,addinghisworktoprevious
collectionsbysuchAmerican1iteraryluminariesasHemlngWay,Faulkner,Hawth0rne･and
Poe.
In addition to Bladb Runner(1982),based on Dick's Do AndfoiゐDream QF
ElectronicSheqp(1968),SeVeralofhisscience丘ctionworkshavebeenadapted(albeit
loosely)forthescreenbymqiordirectors,includingStephenSpielberg'sMinorityR甲Ort
(2002;Shortstory,1956),PaulVe血oeven'sTbtalRecall(1990;"WeCanRememberItfbr
YouWholesale,,,1966),JohnWoo,sPqycheck(2003;Short story,1953)andRichard
Linklater,sAScannerDark身(2007;nOVel1977)tonamebutafbw,aSWe11asinspired
numerouscinematichomages:GaryWalkow'sTheTToublewithDick(1986),Alqiandro's Amenabar,sAbrelosqos(OpenYourEYeS､1997;remadein2001byCameronCroweas
侮nilhzS砂),PeterWeir,sme77･umanShow(1998),DavidCronenberg'sexistenZ(1999),
Linklater,s勒kingL昨(2001)andmostrecentlyRichardKelly'sSouthklndTbおs(2007)･
CoJ密SSLionsQfaCJ甲Artist(1975),theonlymainstreamnovelbyDicktobepublished
duringhislifbtime,WaSnlmedasBadobyJ6r6meBoivinin1993･Twosciencenction
novels,meThreeStigmataQFPalmerElhitch(1964)andVdlis(1981),havebeenadapted fbrthestage.Dick'slifthasalsobecomethes叫ectofnumerousbiographies(Williams
1986,Rickman1989;Sutin1989;and Dick1995).His science nction wo血s and
posthumouslypublishedmainstreamnovelshavebeensuqectedtoagrowlngbodyof
criticalinqulry,muChofitcenteredonDick.sobsessions:ParanOidschizophrenia,the
shiftingboundariesbetweenrealityandillusion,artandarti丘ce,theambiguousinterface
his between human authenticity and mechanicalmimesis,and Gnostic/Su丘-inspired
cosmologleS-Obsessions,Withtheexceptionofthelast,thatnowdennepostmodernangSt･
Astheacademicandliterarywoddsdrawtheirbattlelinesintheso-Calledculturewars･
DickmaybeoneofthefbwviableIIDeadWhiteMales't(thelateKurtVonnegutbeing
perhapsaclosesecond)ofthepostmodemmoment,hissurreal,iconoclasticvisionsofloss
humanityandcosmicconsplraCyhavingfoundanappreciativeaudienceinanincreaslngly EmbraclngtheOther: 45 Race,Redemption,andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipK.Dick
ParanOidwoddthatevenbefore9/11hadcometoassumeanuncannyreSemblancetothose
limnedinDick,s丘ction.
Yetdespitetheacademicandliterarygravedigglng,theresurrectionofDick･soeuvre
asbothscholadyandpopculturalfbdderandtheexpansivescopeofcriticalinqulry,Critics
andcommentatorshavelargelyoverlookedthedepictionofblacksandracerelationsin
theirreadingsand(re)presentationsofhisworks･3Thisisasurprisingomissionsinceboth
丘gure heavilyin Dick's nction･Indeed,Dick,s work consistently o鮎rsinsightfu1
COmmentariesonAmericanracialrelationsandawelcomerespite丘omthetraditionof
StereOtypedportrayalsofblacksinsciencenction･Dickfsfictionisrichlypopulatedwith
blackcharacters,from BobbyDaniels,一.thelittle blackkid一･nextdoorin･･TheFather
Thing''(1954);Groves,thespaceshipcaptaininSohzrLotteTy(1955),hisdebutnovel;Bi11
Laws(EyeintheS砂,1957),theBleekmen(肋rtianTime-S触1964);SttnrtMcConchie
(Dr･Bloodhonq:Or Hbw勒GotAk)ng4Per the Bomb,1965);Jim Briskin,the
PreSidentialcandidate(meChckin伽ce,1966);PercyX(乃eGa7Vme虎Tbkeover,
1967);RayRobertsandtheAnarch托ake(Cbunter-Clockl伽ki,1967);MontgomeryL.
Hopkins(Flow喝′Tbars,thePolicemanSdid,1974);andfniiah(TheDivine血v鮎ion,
1982)to,inhismainstreamnction,Mrs･Lane(肋〝甲tyDumptyinOakhznd,Written1960;
Published1986)andCarletonTweaney(肋TyandtheGiant,Written1953-55;Published
1987)･Particulady factthatin his noteworthyis the meditations on alterity,Dick
COnSistentlycasthisblackcharaCterSintheroleofredeemerandbydoingsowasableto
SubvertbothmainstreamandSFconventionsintheirdepictionsofblacks.
Unlikemanyofhiscontemporaries,Dick.srepresentationofblacksseldomadhered tothestereotypessoprevalentinthegenreinwhichhewroteandtheliterarymainstream
3Blacksarevirtual1yabsentftomⅢmadaptationsofDick,swo血,ironicglVentheir ubiquitouspresenceinhisnction･Blacksappearinonlystereotyped(Benny,thecoonish, jive-talkingmutanttaxidriverin7btalRecall),One-dimensional(thestreet-SmartreSistance 茄ghterinhTPOSter(2002)),Orminor(theblackpolicecaptaininMnorityRq,Ort)rolesin theseadaptations･Indeed,adaptationsofthosewo止sinwhichblacksandracerelations formamqiorsubtext(e･g･,Crackin伽ce,Eyeinthe勒,Counter-ClockWbr域and GanymedkThkeover)haveyettobe丘1med. 46 JohnG.Russell
hedesperatelystruggledtoenter･Indeed,Dickseemstohavetakenasmuchpleasurein
subvertlngCOntemPOraryStereOtypeSOfblacksashedidinblumngthelinebetweenreality
anddelusion･Moreover,inagenrethattraditionallycelebratedbourgeoissocialvaluesand
thesquare｣aWedheroicsofstalwart,WhiteNietzcheanSupermen,Dickempathizedwith
ordinarypeople-thettlittlepeople,Mtheproletariatanditslumpenbrethren-Whostrove,
ofteninisolation,tOSaVetheumiverseagainstthespirituallydebilitatingfbrcesofentropy,
loneliness,Chaos,andtechnologicaldehumanization･Commentingonascenein眈rtian
77me-Sl*lnWhichManfredSteiner,anautistic,Whiteschizophrenicyouthlivinglna
Martiancolony,1SOfferedaclgarette丘omaBleekmanwoman,adark-Skinnedindigeneof
Mars,UrsulaLeGuinwrites:
The shy offbrofaclgaretteis athorough1yDickian gestureofsalvation･ EmpirefromtheTentacledAndromedans･ Nobody eversavestheGalactic Somethingindeedhasbeensaved,butonlyahumansoul･Weareaboutasね･r 丘omthepanOPlyofspaceoperasaswecanget(LeGuin1995,180)･
Ifthereisam句OrWeaknessinDickfsdepictionofblackcharactersitisthattheyare
alltooofteninterchangeable,StanPed丘omthesamearchetypaltemplate,afaulttheyshare
withmanyofhisotherliterarycreations(e･g･,theDafk-hairedGid,thebitchywifb,the
stinedbureaucratandthestrugglingartisan).WhileDickmayromanticizethestatusof
blacks as outsider,he nonetheless a1lows them to retain afundamentalhumanity,a
characteristictheysharewithhisAlienOthers:COmPaSSionateGanymedeanslimemolds,
existentialMartianwubs,andartisanalglimmungs･
Dick･sphenomenologyenvisionedthewoddasanarenaofcompetingrealities,SOme
morehegemomicthanOthers,Whereprivate,isolatedrealities(theidioskosmos)co11ide
withthoseofothers,eVentuallyallowlngaglimpseofthesubstruCtureOfreality,thekoinos
kosmos(socialreality)inwhichalllivesareinextricablyinterconnected･Itshouldthus
comeasnosurpnsethatinDickts丘ctionmanyoftheseencountersoccuratintersections,
bothphysicalandmetaphysical,Wherehischaracters,atOnetimesafblyensconcedintheir
ownprivatewodds,arealmostinevitablybroughtintocontactwithindividualsonits EmbracingtheOther: 47 Race,Redemption,andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipK.Dick
marglnS･Asoccupantsofdifftrentrealities,individualsremainessentiallystrangers,until
PerSOnalorcosmiccatastropheshatterstheirold,StenOphremicwoddview･Thethemeof
SeParaterealitiesisapersistentoneinDick-ssciencenction,butitalsohdsexpressionin
hismainstreamnovels,Wheretheseparationislessmetaphysicalthantheresultofsocial
forcesthatcircumscribeterritoriesofraceandclass;thepotentialforhuman1iberationis
released when those separate realities are broughtinto alignment and solitary souls
rediscoverthemselves andare transfbrmedthroughtheirencounterwith apreviously
unknownOther･AsWagnerhasputit‥
To survive,theweakbutresourcefulhumanSmuStlose theirfaithinsurfhce appearances;aSeaChlayerofrealityispeeledoff,theymustcomealittlecloser todiscovenngtheTruth,theactualbasisoftheircondition.Thenatureofthe deceptionmayvary:SOmetimesthefbrcesresponsibleliespurelyinthepolitical SPhere;SOmetimestheyreachintothetranscendent,and doubtandfaithare imbuedwithreligiousmeanlng･Consistently,however,inordertosucceedthe humansareforcedtoupholdtheiressentialhumanness,thekeyqualityofwhich isapropensitytowardkindnessandempathy(Wagner1985,69-70).
TheredemptiveencounterwiththeOtherisarecumngtropeinbothDicklsSFand mainstreamWO血･IndepictingencounterswiththeBlackOther,Dickeschewedstandard
StereOtypeSOfblacksassex-Obsessedpredators,COmicbuffbons,andcardboardda血ies,
PreSentingtheminsteadasarchetypeSOfanauthentichumanitythatwhiteshadsomehow lostintheirquestfbrpower,maStery,andauthority･Itistheseveryqualitiesofcompassion, empathy,andagqpethatde血etheOtherinDicklsfiction,anditisthroughtheencounter withtheOtherthathiswhiteEverymanprotagonistsrediscovertheirownlosthumanity･
ThesegregatedwoddofAmericainthe1950sand1960sprovidesareal-WOdd
SettingfbrDicktsmainstreamexplorations･LongbefbretheKemerCommissionReport
COnCludedthatAmericawasbecomlnganationseparateandunequalandAndrewHackerts
COnClusionsometwentyyearslaterin7レoNbtionsthatithadalreadybecomeone,Dick
WaSaWarethatblacksandwhitesoccupiednotonlyseparatewoddsbutalso,qulteliterally,
SeParaterealities.InhismainstreamnOVels,aSinhisscience丘ction,randomactsofhuman kindness(aspontaneoushugbestoweduponastranger,aneXPreSSionofgenuinehuman 48 JohnG.Russell
warmth,aPrOfftredcigarette)-㍑DickiangeStureSMasLeGuincal1sthem-dominate,
invitinganepiphanicbreakthroughthatpermitshischaracters totranscendtheirown
privatereality,tOqueSdonitsrestrictedtopography,andtopeerbeyondtheveilofillusion
to better glimpse the Other-s worldand themselves･For AIMi11er,anOut-Of-1uck,
emotionallydisplacedwhiteused-CarSalesman,inDick,s1959mainstreamnOVel肋"Pty
DumptyinOakland,theroadtoperSOnalsalvationcomesthroughanencounterwithMrs･
Lane,ablackreal-eStateagent･
AIsaid,ttrmlookingfbranewlocation･ 一一Isee,"Mrs.Lanesaid.一tOnSanPablo?IhavealotonTelegraphAvenue･'t Shelookedathimsearchingly,tOSeeWhatitwashewanted･ ..Idon.tcarewhereitis,,,AIsaid.一一Justsoit-sagoodlocation…･'' ThewomanSmi1edathimwithsympathy;beyondanydoubtshewanted tohelphim.Itwasherjobtodoso.Andherheartwasinherwotk･Hefbltthat･ 一,lguessyoudon-twanttoohigh..一Mrs･Lanesaid･''Asfarasrentalcosts･" .TNo,一Iheagreed. .･IcoulddriveyouaroundtothatlocationonTelegraph,.tMr$･LaneSaid･ 一一Youcouldtakealookatit.一▼ ..Idon.tneeditrightaway,"hesaid･.fIhavearoundtwomonths･There'sno ruSh.IwanttobesureIgetsomethinggood･'f .,Yes,that●stheimportantthing,一IMrs･Lanesaid･ ..Theused-Carbusinessdoesn-tpayverygood,一thesaid･ Maybeso,Althought･Welrebothinthesameboat･OrmaybeI●mdoing youaniI函stice,Puttingyouwithme･Placingyoudownatsuchahope1ess point･Apersonablepersonlikeyou･Whatwouldyoubeifyouhadbeenbom white?CountrychairmanOftheRepublicanparty?Wifbofsomeindustrialist? AndwhatwouldIbeifIhadbeenbomcolored?Justaje止.Anothernowhere je血(Dick1988,38)･
And:
Mrs.Lanesmiledathim･Withcompassion,hethoughttCompassionand understanding･Hewentonthen･Backtohiscar･ Hethought,Shewantstosellmesomething･Butheknewitwasmorethan that;nOtthatatal1,aCtua11y･Whatwasitthen?Love,hethought･Lovefbrhim･ Big,middle-aged,gOOd-looking,lighトSkinned Negro business woman,he thought･Wantstomotherme,ifpossible･Heftltdepressed,andyet,atthesame time,itseemedtohimasifsomeofhisburdenhaddeparted･Hedidnotftelas badasbefbre.That･sasmartwoman,aSmartSaleswoman;Sheknowsherstuff, hethought.Arealprofbssional.Ⅰ.11beback･Sheknowsthat(ibid･,39一朝)･ EmbracingtheOther: 49 Race,Redemption▼andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipK.Dick
In nction the science novelF70W坤乃αTT,772e Policeman Said,a Similar
redemptiveencountertakesplaceata24-hourgasstationbetweenFelixBuckman,the
POlicegeneralofanAmericanpolicestate,andMontgomeryL･Hopkins,ablackstranger
inafuturewhereblackpeoplehavebeenvirtuallyeliminatedbygovernmentPOlicy:
GlarelituptheshapeOfamiddle-agedblackmanintopcoat,neat,COlorfultie, hisfhcearistocratic,eaChfbaturesta血youtlined･Theblackmanpacedacross theoil-Streakedcement,hisarmsfblded,anabsentexpressiononhisface･ Evidentlyhewaitedfortherobotrixattendanttonnishfuelinguphisship･The blackmanwasneitherimpatientnorreslgned;hemerelyexisted,inremoteness
andisolation and splendor,StrOngin body,Standing high,Seelng nOthing becausetherewasnothinghecaredtosee(Dick1974,220-221).
Theencounterdoesnotseematal1promlSlngat丘rst:BuckmanglVeStheblackman asquaI℃OfpaperOnWhichhehasdrawnaheartpiercedbyanarrow･Hopkinsacceptsit,
丘owns,andhandsitbacktoBuckman,butsomehowitiscaughtinthenightwindand nuttersaway･BuckmanreturnStOhisquibble,Shutshimselfinside,and,OVerCOmeWith griefoverthedeathofhissister,beginstoweep･Hetriestotakeoffbutendsuppa血ed besidetheblackman.
TheblackmanWaSlookingathim･ Buckmanwalkedtowardtheblackman･Theblackmandidnotretreat;he
StOOdwherehewas.Buckmanreachedhim,heldouthisarmsandseizedthe blackman,enLbldinghiminthem,andhuggedhim･Theblackmangruntedin SurPnSe･Anddismay･Neithermansaidanything･Theystoodfbraninstantand thenBuckmanlettheblackman go,tumed,Walkedshakingly backtohis q山bble. 一一Wait,.一theblackmanSaid. BuckmanrevoIvedtofacehim. Hesitating,theblackmanstoodshivenngandthensaid,一tDoyouknowhow togettoVentura?Uponairroutethirty?f-Hewaited.BuckmanSaidnothing. ''It's丘ftyorsomilesnorthofhere,一一theblackmansaid.StillBuckmansaid nothing･一■Doyouhaveamapofthisarea?"theblackmanasked. "No,"Buckmansaid･t-I-msorry･一t MI,1lask at the gas station,一一the black manSaid,and smi1ed alittle. Sheepishly･一一Itwasmicemeetingyou･What-syourname?一一Theblackman Waitedalongmoment･一一Doyouwanttote11me?一. ..Ihavenoname,ttBuckmansaid･.1Notrightnow･MHecouldnotreallybear tothinkofit,atthistime. ttAre you an o伍cialofsome kind?Like a greeter?OrfbmtheL.A. ChamberofCommerce?Ⅰ'vehaddealingswiththemandtheylreallright:一 50 JohnG.Russell
.1No,ttBuckmanSaid.一一Ⅰ.manindividual.Likeyou'f(ibid･,222)･
Commentingonthescene,Dickwrites:
Inmynovel,FelixBuckmanreachesouttotheblackstrangerfbremotional support,becauseFelixBuckmanlssisterhasjustdiedandheisfhllingapart Buckman's psychological1y.The black man stirs up spirits andalthough Buckmandoesnotgoawayr句OIClng,atleasthistearshavestoppedfhlling･He hadbeennyinghome,WeePlngOVerthedeathofhissister,andhadtoreachout to someone,anyOne,eVenatOtalstranger･ItisanenCOunterbetweentwo strangersontheroadwhichchangestheliftofoneofthem･･･M(Dick1985, 12).
Like the Alien Other,the Black Otherin Dick,s mainstream and genre works
constitutes awarm,geminely humanpresencethatDickjuxtaposes againstthe cold
rationalityandmanipulativeambihonofwhites,SigninedbytheGermansBluthgeld(Dr･
Bloo加oney)andGoebbels(肋ninthemghCastle),thedeceptiveandmalencentbeauty
oftheblond(andhencenormativeandseeminglyinnocuously)mutantof一.TheGolden
Manl･(1954)andbythegenetical1yengineeredanddrug-enhancedUbemenschenand
esurientEuro-AmericanspacecolonistswhopopulatesomuchofDicklswofk･Conversely,
Dickts blackcharacters occupy the sameliminalspaceashis sympathetic･nOminally
"infbrior…mutants-thedefbrmedphocomeliHoppyHarrigan(Dr･Bloo加onqy)andTibor
McMasters(DeusbTae,1976)andthementallydencientt●chickenhead一.J･R･Isodore(Do
AndfoidDreamQFELectronicSheqp).InDr.Bloodmonq,StuartMcConchie,ablack
employeeofJimFergesson,aWhiteTVstoreowner,COnSiderstheliberalpaternalismofhis
employerandhisplaceinapost-aPOCalypticsouthemCalifbmiacommunity:
‥･Fergessonwasdeterminedtodorightbyal1theminoritygroupsinthe world･FergessonwasamemberoftheAmericanCivilLibertiesUnionandthe NAACPandtheHelpfortheHandicappedLeague-thelatterbeing,aSfhras Stuartcouldtell,nOthingbutalobbygrouponanintemationalscale,SetuPtO promotesoftberthsfbrallthevictimsofmodemmedicineandscience,SuChas themultitudeffomtheBluthgeldCatastropheof1972･ Andwhatdoesthatmakeme?Stuartaskedhimselfashesatupstairsinthe storetso爪ce,gOlngOVerhissalesbook･Imean,hethought,Withaphoce wofkinghere･‥thatpracticallymakesmearadiationfreak,tOO,aSif,being EmbracingtheOther: 51 Race,Redemption,andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipK.Dick
COloredwasasortofearlyfbrmofradiationbum･Hefbltgloomythinking abontit. Onceuponatime,hethought,allthepeopleonEarthwerewhite,andthen SOmehorselsasssetoffahigh-altitudebombbacksayaroundtenthousand yearsago,andsomeofusgotsearedanditwaspermanent;itaffbctedour genes･SoheI℃WearetOday(Dick1987,13-14).
And:
AfterapauseStuartMcConchiesaid,ttFirstyouhireme,aNegro,andnowa Phoce･Well,Ihavetohandittoyou,Fergesson;yOu-retrylngtOdoright･一一 Feeling anger,Fergesson said,.一Inot only try,Ido;Ⅰ一m not just day-dreaming,1ikeyou.Ⅰ▼mamanwhomakesuphismindandacts"(ibid.,11).
DicktsblacksserveaSSlgninersofdisen丘anchisedhumanity,embodimentsofhomo agqpus,naturalbeingswhoseembraceoffbelingandemotionplacesthematoddswiththe
OPPreSSivearti丘cialityofthewoddonwhosemarglnStheyarefbrcedtolive.Theyare- notunlikethenomadicBleekmenof肋rtain77me-S和一quiteliterally.一bleakment一(and
WOmen),marginalbeingswhoexistonthefHngesofamoraldesertwheretheymust
Struggletopreservetheirdignityandtheessentialhumannessthatsetsthemapartffom theiremotiona11yrepressedoppressors.ThistropeisillustratedinasceneinFlow坤Tbars, thePolicemanSaidinwhichblacks,nOtunlikethepreciousextinctwildlifbofDoA批かoids
DreamqfElectronicSheqp,havebecomean'.endangeredspecies,一一缶rstdecimatedandthen
PrOteCtedbygovemmentpolicy･
仏】tanintersectionaneldedyblackmanhaltinglycrossed,fbelinghisway alongasifblindwithage.Seeinghim,Jasonfbltanoddemotion.Therewereso ftwblacksalive,nOW,becauseofTidman.snotorioussteri1izationbillpassedby Congress backin the temible days oftheInsurrection.The clerk carefully Slowedhisrattlyquibbletoastopsoasnottoharasstheeldedyblackmanin hisrumPled,Seam-tOrnbrownsuit.Obviously,hefbltit,tOO･ '一Doyourealize,MtheclerksaidtoJason,一tthatifIhithimwithmycarit WOuldmeandeathpenaltyforme?一一 ttItshould,..Jasonsaid. ''They'relikethelastflockofwhooplngCraneS,M thecle止said,Starting fbrward now that the old black had reachedthe far said･一'Protected by a thousandlaws･Youcan'tJeeratthem;yOuCan.tgetintoa丘stnghtwithone Withoutriskingafblonyrap-tenyearSinpnson.Yetwefremakingthemdie Out-that'swhatTidmanwanted andIguesswhatthemqorityofSilencers 52 JohnG.Russell
Wanted,but●一-hegestured,fbrthenrsttimetakingahandoffthewheel一.'l missthekids.IrememberwhenIwastenandIhadablackboytoplaywith‥･ notfarfromhereasamatteroffact.Helsundoubtedlysteri1izedbynow.一(Dick l朔,23-24).
HereDick-scle止evinceswhatanthropologistRenatoRosaldohastermedMimperialist
nostalgia,t- which he dennes as a'.particular kind of nostalgia often fbund under
imperialism,WherepeOPlemoumthepasslngOfwhattheythemselveshavetransfbrmed"
(Rosaldo1989,69).Thepassagecitedsuggcststhepricehumanitypayswhenitdeniesthe
Otheritsown,ahumanitythatislatera爪rmedtowardtheendofthenovelwhenHopkins,
grudginglybutonhisownterms,embraceshisoppressor･FortheliberalhumanistDick,
blackssymbolizethestrengthandgraceofoutsidersstrugglingfbrbalanceandsurvivalin
thecruCible,WhethertheyareexiledtoadistantAIphanemoonor,aSinHumpty
OakLand(w.1956;Pub.1991),fbrcedtoseekrefugeinablacksocialclubinSouLhern
CalifbmiawherewhitessuchaJimFergessonseektoregaintheirownlosthumanity･
Quiteaftwpeoplewereinthebar;aSheopenedthedoor,nOisespilledoutover him,Pleaslng him･And the smells of people,the good warm sme11s; COmPanionship,laughter,the racket oflift,its characteristic motion and COlor.‥(Dick1988,31)
Asachroniclerofalienationanddepersonalization,Dick,CaPtureSthealterityof
blacksin a white-dominated worldpe血aps more thanany Other genre writer of his
generation･Nonetheless,Dicklsliteraryattitudetowardblacksisambivalent;likethecle血
in Flow坤7baTT,坤Policeman Said,Dickalso succumbs toimperialist nostalgia,
ViewlngthemechanizationofsocietyasadehumanlZlnganddesensitizingprocessthat
COnSumeSallthatisnatural,SpOntaneOuS,trulyalive.ThroughtheSelf'sencounterwiththe
Otherentropyisdelayed,temPOrari1yputtobaybyindividualresistance-randomactsof
human bridge between despalr･Desplte kindness -that the gulf soulsin SuCh
romanticization,however,Dickseldomallowshischaracterizationstodescendtothelevel
OfNobleSavagehagiolatry,thatexaltationofexoticNegropnmitivismthatsuffusesthe
WO止ofJackKerouacandotherBeatgenerationwriters,OrthekindofMagicNegro EmbracingtheOther: 53 Race,Redemption,andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipK.Dick
imagerythatdominatesthe丘cdonofStephenKing･4LikeallDick-scharacters,hisblacks
areflawed,COmplexbeingswhoinvitethereaderslempathyandrespeCtratherthanplayto
theirmcialphobia,Obsessions,andfantasies･Althoughscomedbythedominantculture,
theyholdthekeytoitsredemptionandspiritualliberation･5
4For a discussion ofthe MagicalNegro stereotypeSee NnediOkorafor-Mbachu, "StephenKing's Super-DuperMagicalNegroes,"StTungeHbrizons,October25,2∝粗, http://www･Strangehorizons･COm/2脱/2腑1025/kinga･Shtml･
5Interestlngly,aSananalogy ofracialoppression,the mm Bhzdk Runneris more COnSistentinkeeplngWiththespiritofDicktsredemptivenarrativesthanthenovelupon Whichitisbased･AsBadownotes,Dkkhasneverbeenconsistentinhisemploymentof the android/machine/robot metaphor(Aaron Badow,..円Iilip K.Dickfs Androids: Victimized Victimizers･●一In ReかqβttingB払おRunner,JudithKerman(ed.),Bowling Green:PopularP陀SS,199l,76-89).ThisisglaringlyapparentinDoA血idsDreamqf ElectronicShe甲,Whereitisdi爪culttodeterminewhetherandroid$aremeanttOrePreSent Victimsorvictimizers･Dickhimselfseemedtobeoftwomindsonthesu切ect,attimes StatingthattheandroidsweremetaphorsfortheirredeemableeviloftheNazis,atOther timesequatingthemwithslaves.(Inthenovel,aTV advertisementproclaimsthatthe OffwoddexperienceIlduplicatesthehalcyondaysofthepre-CivilWarSouthemstates! Either as body servants ortireless丘eld hands,the custOm-tailored humanOid robot- designedespeCial1yforYOURUNIQUENEEDS,FORYOUANDYOUALONE-given to you on yourarrivalabsolutely丘ee....'(fhilip K.Dick,DoAnhoids Dream qf Electronic Sheq),New York:Ba11antine Books,1982,14).Fitting has notedthatthe Sadistic,Calculatingbehavioroftheandroids一一allmakeclear‥.theyaremeanttObe undcrstoodasevilandinhuman'一(PeterFitting,t-Futurecop:TheNeutralizationofRevoltin Blade Runner:lIn OnPhil¢K.Dick:40ArticおsPomScience-F7cEionStudies.Terre Haute:SF-TH,Inc.,1992,135).Dickts ambivalenttreatment ofthe androidshas been CriticizedbyStanislawLem,Whosawitasam毎OrWeaknessofthenovel(Stanislaw.Lem, 'TScience Fiction:A Hopeless Case-With Exceptions."In PhiZ*RIDick:Electric Shqpherd,BruCeGillespie(ed.),Melbourne,1975,69-94).鮎dleyScott.s丘1m,however, jettisonstheNazimetaphorandbycastingDick-srenegadereplicantsasescapedslaves invitestheviewertosympathizewiththem.TheslaveanalogylSmadeexplicitduringthe 丘nalconffontationbetweenpolice assassinRickDeckardandthe dyingreplicantRoy BattywhosparesDeckard'slift,althoughnotbeforetakingsadisticpleasureinglVlnghim atasteoflfwhatitisliketoliveinfear-tObeaslave.ttRickmannotesthatthematureDick WOuldreturn tothistheme,POrtraylng一一androids as slavesandnot,1ikemany SCience 瓜ctionauthorsofthetime,aSmanufhcturedfhends:thisperCePtioncolorshislaterwriting asdoeshissuspicionthatamanufacturedracemightwe11beworsethanourown一.(Gregg Rickman,7bihemghCbstEe,LongBeach:FragmentsWestrrheValentinePress,1989, 152)･Inthissense,DoAnd[oidsDreamQfElectronicSheqpwouldseemtohearkenbackto DicktsphilosophicalmediationsonthenatureofGoodandEvil.Incontrast,BlbdbRunner isredolentoftheDickofF70WA卸7barT,theEblicemanSdid.Indeed,attheendofthe丘Im, itisthehuntednotthehunterwho,duringamovlngSOliloquy,Sheds"tearsinrain一▼and emergesasthemorehuman,OraSthecorporatemottoofTyre11,themanufacturerofthe replicantsphrasesit,"mOrehumanthanhuman." 54 JohnG.Russell
ⅠI
Itisinterestlng tO SPeCulate onthe sources ofDickls empathy with blacks･In
interviews,Dickhasstatedthathefbltacertaincomfbrtaroundblacks,Perhapssenslngln
themthetraceofhisownalienation.ItisalsopossiblethatasaSFwriterstrivingfor
mainstreamrecognitioninthesoclOPOlitica11ytufbulent1960sand1970s,Dick,nOtunlike
his contemporarieswhooftenrefbrredtotheirgenreasaliterary Mghettot-vis-d-Visthe
mainstream and analogizedthemselves to blackjazz musicians,SaWinthe Afdcan AmericanstrugglefbrsocialacceptanCeaParalleltohisownfruStratedartisticaspirations･
Still,desplteidentifyingwithblacksintheirquestforacceptanceandrecogmition,thegenre
was not above utilizing racist stereotypes.Althoughits practitioners champ10nedthe
underdog-PerSeCutedmutants･Sentientrobots,andsympatheticaliens-intheirnction,
theirliberalvisionoftendidnotextendtothemoreimmediateandmundanetargetsof
socialintoleranceandscorn.Indeed,thesesympatheticportrayalsoftheAlienOthermay
havestemmedless丘omtheiridentincationwithpersecutedracialOthersthanfromtheir
ownfbelingsofperSeCutionasresidentsofamalignedliteraryghetto,aSJewsconffonted
withantisemitism,OraSWASPsthreatenedbythetlrisingtideofcolor''andthelossof
Whiteprivilege･Itisslgmi丘cantthatwhilemanySFwritersandreadersidentinedwiththe
OmnipotentbutpersecutedsupermenOftheirimagination,Dickpursuedanothercourse:
human1Zlngthosewhohadbeendehumamized･6
Dickfsidenti丘cationwithblacksandothermarglnalgroupsseemsmoreperSOnal
thanproftssional,pe血apsstemmlng血･Omhisownsenseofineffablediffbrence･Thatso
manyofhis丘ctionalcharacters-inparticular,themyriadvariationsofthecharacterJim
6Dickdidnotembraceal1mutantsandwasparticuladywaryofthesuperhumanvariety･ Commentingont,TheGoldenMan,.一hewrites,1.Wearesupposedtoviewthemasour leaders･ButIalwaysfbltuneasyastohowtheywouldviewus･Imean,maybethey WOuldn▼twanttoleadus･MaybeffomtheirsupereVOIvedloftylevelwewouldnltseem WOrthleading･Anyhow,eVeniftheyagreedtoleadus,Ifbltuneasyastowherewewould Windupgolng.Itmighthave somethingtodowithbuildingsma血edSHOWERS but Whichreallywerentt一一(Dick,一INotes,t-neCollectedStoriesqfPhil桓K･Dick,Vbl･3･New Yo血:Citadel,1991a,412). EmbracingtheOther: 55 Race,Redemption,andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipKDick
Fergesson who appearSin severalworks(e.g.,VbicesPom the Street,2007,Written
1952-1953,LhTT甲tyDu〝甲tyinOakland,andDr.Bloodhonq)-aremOdeledonHefb
Hollis,Dick's丘rstandonlyemployer,SuggeStSthatDicksawhimselfasabene丘ciaryof thiswarmpatemal丘gure.AccordingLawrenceSutin,Holliswasaman'.susceptible
StrayS-fhintlydistracted,Odd-SeermngBerkeleyidealists--Whowanderedintohisod)it,一' atraitthatwouldruboffonDick(Sutin1989,51).LiketheJimFergessoncharacterinDr･
Bloodmonqy,Hollisemployedaphysicallyhandicappedperson,●一adwarfbd,hunChbacked accouptant一.(ibid･)･ThatDicktooktorefbrringtohimselfas,一JimDickltsuggestsnotonly howdeeplyheidenti丘edwiththeseHollis-1ikecharactersbutthattheyalsorepresentedthe kind of compassionate human being Dick aspired to become as we11as his own identi丘cationwiththeoutsidershetookin.GivenDick-suncertaintyabouthisownmental
Stability(according to Anne Dick,his third wifb,at One time he diagnosed himself
SChizophrenic),itmaybethatDickwasgratefultoHo11isfortakinginsucha一一misnt'11ike himself(Sutin,50).
Whateverthecase,Dickidentinedwiththepowedessand,inthegulSeOfHollis, thosewhoprovidedthemwiththecushionofemotionalsupport.Dick-stroubled,isolated
Childhoodandhiscontactwithblacksateadyagewouldseemtohavelaidthegroundwork fbrhisempathytowardthemandoutsidersingeneral.In1934,Whenhewassentoffto boarding school,Dick,then six,madefhends withits black cooking staff･Dick also developedaclosebondwithLula,thefamily.sblackhou$ekeeper(ibid.,28)･Accozdingto
LynneAalan,Dick.sstep-Sister,inaninterviewwithDickbiographerGreggRickman:
Dorothy[Dick.s mother]regrettedthelong hours away.He was withthe housekeeper,Lula･Dorothy spoke ofherwithmuchfondness･She was an .一ignorantI-blackwoman-1iterallyinthesensethatshecouldn-tread,COuldntt Write,butverywi$e,Veryloving･Sheprovidedawarmatmosphereforhim･I thinkDorothytriedtomakesure(ofthat),aSShecouldnltprovideitforhim (ibid.,80). 56 JohnG.Russell
InaninterviewwithRicknan,Dicknotesthathedidnotsufftrthesymptomsof
globushysteria,amOrbidfbarofeatlnglnPublic,Whenhedinedwiththeboardingschool's
blackcookingstaff.
TheonlyfoodIwouldeatwasdogkibbleandIwouldstealitfromthekitchen･ Andtheblackpeoplewhomanagedthekitchen,they'dcallmeintothekitchen. Thewhitefolkswouldsitmedownatthisgod-damntableandsayyousitthere untilyoueatthisfbodandyousitthereallday.Icouldn'tswallow.Imean globushysteria,yOuCan-tswallow.Youhavenovoluntary controloverthat Whenyougetit.Icouldn'teatthefood.Prettysoon,attheendofthedaywould COmeOneOftheblackpeOPlewhowouldtakemeintothekitchenandsay一.You COmein here withus.一'Andthat-s onereasonIlike blackpeOPle so much･ Everythingwasalrightthen.Ⅰ一deat丘newithblackpeOPle･WhichiswhereI belong･…LikethatsongbyBobDylan,mOStOfhisfhendswereblackorJewish･ ImeanIwashappywiththem.Theywerenttthosefuckin'crackers･Thisis Virginia･Fuckin'whitecrackers.Blackpeoplewerenne･Imeanthey,theblack peOPlecouldtellIwantedtoeatbutIcouldn.teat.TheyknewIwasn'tbeing PerverSe(ibid.,5).
Fouryearslater,in1938,DickandDorothymovedffomWashingtontoBe止eley
Wherehewasexposeditsthrivingwo血ngclassblackandAsianpopulation･Dickwould
remaininCalifomiafbrtherestofhislift,drawlngOnhisexperiencestherefbrnarrative
inspiration･FromBe血eley,hemovedtoMarianCountyin1958,retumlngtOBefkeleyln
1964.LaterDickwouldmovetoOakland,andin1968,SettleinpredominatelyblackSanta
Venetia.It would appear that Dickls exposuI℃tO African Americans wouldleave an
indelibleimpnntonbothhislifbandhis丘ction.Dickcharacterizestheserelationshipsas
Warmandempathic;helivesamOngthem,eatSWiththem,aCqulnngSOCialskillsalongthe
Way.In1954,ablackchauffturtaughtDickhowtodrive,aneXPeriencethat,aCCOrdingto
Dick,aWakenedhimtotherealitiesofsocialprqjudice.
Hetaughtmehowtodriveandittookmonths,1iteral1y,becauseIwasrea11y Verybad(And)hewouldn'tacceptadime.WhenIgotmylicenseIgothim SOmeWeSternnOVels(and)somebeer‥.andheandhiswifbwrotemeandmy Wifbathankyoucardasiftheywereinourdebt･ Andwhenmywiftwasinthecar,hewouldnotsitinthe丘ontseat･He WOuldalwayssitintheback.HewasgolngtOteaChhertodrive,buthecouldn.t Standthestressofbeinginthesamecarwithawhitewoman･･･Hewouldn-t evencomeintomyhouse;CanyOuimaglnethat?Hewouldsitonmyffont porch,anddrinkbeer(ibid.,238). EmbracingtheOther: 57 Race,Redemption,andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipKDick
DickwouldusetheseperSOnalexperiencesasa backdropinhis茄ction･Forthe
young,1neXpenenCedDick,blackssigmi丘edthesocialgracesandwoddlycompetenCehe
lackedaswe11asaspiritualgenerosityandunconditionalacceptancehewasunableto茄nd
inhisrelationswithwhiteadults･AccordingtoSutin,eVeninhisrelationshipwithHefb
Ho11is,DickTIplayedthefo01..andl一theclown,ltrepresslnghisda血er,mOretrOubledselfin
abidfbracceptance･Moreover,1ikehiswhiteprotagonists,Dicksometimesadopteda
PrOteCtive attitude toward blacks,attemPting to defbnd and preserve their humanity,
althoughheoccasional1ycapitulated.DickrewrotetheblackPaulNitzcharacterin肋Ty
andGiant(Written1954-55)fo1lowingarecommendationffomhiseditortoeithermake
himwhiteorl-Hollywoodhim-1bymakingNitztlthesortofmuscularNegrowhoglVeS
Whitegidsasecretsexualkick▼l(ibid.,3(渇).Dickoptedforthefbrmer,ratherthansaddle
hischaracterstocorrmercialstereotypeS.IncomplyingDickmayhavebeenseducedbythe
lureofmainstreamacceptance;thenovelwasrqjected,nOnetheless.Buttheepisodemirrors
eventsDickwチStOeXploreinhissciencenction･
Nowhereis the uncomfortable dissonance between Samboand Sisyphus made
ClearerthaninEyeintheS砂inwhichDickdirectlyconffontstheProcruSteanmind-traPOf
racialstereotyping･Dickintroducesthereadertoacompetentblack,Billhws,aPhysics
Studentwho wo血s part-timeas a guideatanexperimentalprotonbeamlaboratoryln
Califbmia･Asaresultofaaccidentalmisnringofthebeamdmingatourofthefacility,
LawsandthetourgI℃uPheleads丘ndthemselvessharingeachother.ssuqecdverealities,
eventuai1ywindinguptrappedinthatofoneofitsmembers,aWhiteracist,ArthurSilvester, inwhosewoddLawsmustconstantlystruggleagainstbeingtransfbrmedintoshufning
Caricatureofblackbuffboneryandsubservience･LikeDick-sEverymanprotagomists,the
BlackOtheremergesasanexistentialhero-mOreSisyphusthanSambo-Whoissuqected to fbrces bothextrawoddly and mundane beyond hisiⅡ皿ediate control,but who neverthelesscontinual1ywrestlestoresistthosefbrcesasanagentofhisownfate･ 58 JohnG.Russell
Hamiltonhurriedintothelivingroom.TherewasLaws,graduatestudentin advancedphysics.ArmSdanglingathissides,Whiteeyeballspopplng,knees bent,bodylankand shambling,he grotesquely swiveled his way over to Hamilton. 一一You-alllookayhar;一heholdHamilton.'lLook,man,howAhbindonein･ Thisyhargoddamwuhl'donekickmesquareindeass･●一 一一Areyoudoingthisonpurpose?Hamiltondemanded,nOtSureWhetherto beamusedoroutraged. '一Puhpus?'一theNegrogazedvacantlyathim･"Whatyou'allmean,Massah Hamilton?〃 一一YourreeithercompletelyinSilvester'shands,OrthemostcynicalmanrVe
evermet.,- SuddenlyLaws-eyesnickered...Silvester-shands?Whatdoyoumean?'l His dialect was gone;in$tantly he was alert,tenSe.1'IthoughtIwas His EvedastingM再esty." 1.ThedialectwasanaCt,then?.1 Lawsleyesgleamed.一tI-mbia血git,Hmilton.Thepullisthere･Icanftel it slippingin.ButI-m goingit one better''(Dick1990,112-113,0riginal empbasis)･
WasDickventinghisownfmstrationwiththeeditor$Of肋TyandtheGiardoverthe
treatment ofhis black character?Washe strugglingto resoIve his own guiltfbr not
displayingthemoralcouragethatmotivatedhis丘ctionalEverymen(AIMi11er,LhL〝甲ty
Du〝甲tyin伽kkzndandLeoRuncible,772e肋nWhoseTbeth勒reAllEwcゆAlike)?Or
isthesuggestionitselfanactofmyth-making,anattemPttOreSOIvethecontradictionsand
inconsistenciesthatplaguedDick.sownlifbasittriestobringthatlifetoclosure,aClosure
whichbothhisworksandhislifbbelie?
Bythemid-1960s DicktsvisionoftheAmericanracialdividewasmatunng,
growlngmOreOVertlypolitical,eChoingthetimesinwhichhewrote･Counter-ClockWbrhi
PreSentSuSWithaworldinwhichbothtimeandracialhierarchiesarereversed,black
nationalistshavingsecededfbmtheUmitedStates.Dick.sportraitofatriumphantblack
nationalismisessentiallysympathedc,afarcry丘omthehystericaltreatmentitreceivedin
RobertA.Heinlein-sFbrnhamlsFYeehoki(1964).TheAnarch托ak,aMalcolmX-1ike
blacknationalist,turnSOut,likehishistoricalcounterpart,nOttObeafanaticaldemagogue
butarationalhumanbeingwhoserebirthmayprevent-nOtpreCipitate-raCeWar･
The Dickls apparent sympathy withblack nationalistsisfurther articulatedin
GαTyme滋nkeover(co-authoredwithRayNelson),inwhichthefateoftheEarthrestsin EmbracingtheOther: 59 Race,Redemption,andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipKDick
thehandsofyetanothermi1itantblackseparatistleader･Dickwaswritingduringaperiod
Whentheappropriationoftheiconsofblackragewas虎rlgueuramOngliberalandradical
WhiteswhoregardedthemaspotentsymboIsofrebellionagainstwhitebourgeoisvalues
theythemselveswerebeginmngtoquestionandwhichallowedBeatsandmembersofthe
WhiteliteratitospeakofIItheWhiteNegro,landwhitecamPuSStudentstolabelthemselves
PreSumptuOuSlyrebe11iousMniggers,t17unfurlthebannerSOfculturalrevolution,andinvoke
theriotousspectacleofwhitepnmitivismasananSWertOSPiridesscapitalism･Ironical1y,
atthesametimethatmainstreampublishersrqectedDickfsblackcharactersasromantic
leads,SF publishers acceptedthem as romantic revolutionaries,eVen-andperhaps
because-theirrebellionsultimatelyendedinfhiluI℃OrWeredepictedasmorallybankruPt,
theoppressedtransformedintooppressoroncethegoalofblackliberationwasachieved, foraccordingtogenreconventions,blackliberationinevitablyleadtowhiteenslavement･
TheGα7V7meゐ7bkeoverprovidesanewtwistonthethemeofracewarandalien invasionbypresentingracerclations丘omthepointofviewofthealieninvaders,aView
WhichstandsinstarkcontrasttoAmericanantiblackracialatdtudes.Inthenovel,Marshal
Koli,a Ganymedeanmi1itaryleader responsiblefor Earth.s s叫ugation,favombly appraiseshisquarry,themilitant"Negropartisan(Neeg-Part)"1eaderPercyX:
FromthePercyX丘1ehelifted,Withhisjaws,a3-Dcolourstillphotoofthe Neegandexamineditwithrelish.Whata丘neforehcad.Andchin.Theentire facesquaredoff,fu1lofstrength,eVenbeauty;nOWOnderthecreaturehadrisen to become the charismaticleader ofallthe remalnlng Neeg-PartSin the mountains(DickandNelson1991,30).
Blackisbeautiful,indeed,althoughitsappraisalliesintheeyesofanalienbeholder･
InconstruCtinghisownperSOnalmythos,Dickwasnotaboveexploi血gthewhite
COunter-Culture'sromanticizedBlackOther,attimesexaggerating(Orpe血apsbelievingto betrue)hisassociationwithblackmi1itantsinSantaVienta,atOnePOintaccusinghis
7see,forexamPle,JerryFa血r,TheStu&ntasNigger.NewYod(:PbcketBooks1970. Fatber'spleCeOriginallyappearedasanarticleintheLosAngelesFreePressin1967and WaSWidelycirculatedinundergroundnewspaperS. 60 JohnG,Russell
then-WiftNanCyHackettofhavinganaffairwithablackwhomDickhasrefbrredtoin interviewsasaPantherpadymember,althoughinfacthewasnot,andspeculatingthatthe
1974raidonhishomemayhavebeentheworkofblackradicalsdeteminedtodriveDick outofacommunitythathadbythenbecomepredominatelyblack(Sutin,166-167)･As withmuchofDickTs茄ction,itisdi爪culttodistinguishrealityffomillusion･
Cleady,aSWehaveseen,blaeksoccupiedaspeCialpositioninDick'soeuvre,One
WhoseonglnSmaytraCebacktohisownsenseisolationandloss･Notonlydidhis丘ction
fbr reflect the racial1y troubled timesin which he wrote but also hisperSOnalquest
Selfldiscovery andacceptanCebytheOther,Whetherasaseparatephysicalentityora
PSyChicdoppelgangerthatservedasthematicmarkerfbrmuchofDick.s丘ction･Forif thereisacommonthemethatDickdevelops,itisthattheOtherisbothanextemaland internaltracewhoseacceptanceleadstoenlightenment･redemptlOn･andthepotentialfbr
SPiritualandhumanliberation.
IfDickwasindeedthelonely,unCertainlittleboythatemergesinRickmanand
Sutin-sbiographies,aSenSitive,SOCialphobicbefhendedbyblackdomesticsandneighbors,
OnealsoseeshistraceintheautisticMan丘edSteinerwho丘ndshapplneSSandacceptanCe amongtheamongthenomadicBleekmanOf肋rtian77me-S坤,andinwhiteusedcar salesmanAIMillerwhoseearthierencounterswithMrs.hne,ablackrealestatedeveloper, attheconclusionofLhL叩PtyDu〝甲tyinOakkznd,reiteratesDickianthemesofloneliness transcended,ifonlybrienyandincompletely,throughencounterswithtru1yhumanand humaneOthers.
t.Youlook丘ne,▼thesaid. Shesaid,MMr.Mi11er,yOuSOundbad.Whereallyourusualjokesandironic Sty1eofhumor?'' Heshrugged･ ,.Nomore,一▼Mrs.I.anesaid,regardinghim.一.Isthatit?IhearaboutMr･ Fergesson.Nowwhereyougo?Whatyoudo?一' 一一I,mlookingformywifb,"hesaid･ .一Shetsgone,tOO?Everybodygone?Nobodywantyou,itseem･Nowifb,nO fhend,nOjob.Youinabadway.Howdidyougetthatway,Mr･Miller?Lifb PerPlexlnglnCertainregards･Onedayyouhaveallthosethings,thenextday not･Andwhatyoudoneinbetween?FarasIcansee,yOunOtdonenothingat all･Sometimeitmakeyouponderifyounotthosechurchpeoplenotright･But EmbraclngtheOther: 61 Race,Redemption,andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipK.Dick
I,mySelf,Inevergotochurchandbelievenothing.Ⅰalreadyhadthat,andjust thesameasalltherest･IthinkyouandIbothbecrazytogobacktothat,aS muchaswewishwecould,1ikeotherfblk.一一 Henodded. ㍑Whatinthepackage?Mshesaid. Hedidnotknowwhatshemeant.Helookedaround. 'lInyourhand,"shesaid. Heshowedher. 一一Sand･Mshesaid,lookinglntOitashehelditopen･一一Youpickingupsand likealittleboy･一IShetookthesackofsandawayh)mhimandsetitdownby
One Ofthe parked cars･一一That allyou get out ofthis?At your age, thirty-SOmethingyears?Nowonderyougotnothingjokingtosay.AndhereI goouttomyparty･IgolngtOgetinanddriveofrleavlngyOu･AndIeventake yoursackofsandaway丘omyou･IabadwomanifIdothat･Ireallybad;Isee myselfinmyJanglyskinlaughingout.MymeanJanglyskin.一一 MThatlsokay,▼Ihesaid･l-Iwasn.tgettinganywhere･Forgetit･1. 一一Younotbegrudgememyparty,l-shesaid･"Ⅰknowthat,Mr.Mi11er.･一After amomentshereachedoutandtookholdofhiswri$t･lIIthinkItakeyouwith me.Il -tWもe托tO?--hes由d. 1†Nottonooldparty･Itakeyouhomewithme･1.Shepulledhim,andhe Wentalong,aCrO$Sthesidewalktothecar･Openlngthecardoor,Shesathim downontheseatandthenshewentaroundtotheothersideandgotinbehind thewheel･"Idrive,.,shesaidtohim,1.becauseIknowtheway･" Shestartedthemotor. HereachedoutandputhisarmSarOundher(Dick1988,198-199).
ⅠⅠⅠ
UnlikeRobertA.Heinleinandahostofotherscience丘ctionwritersofthe1960s
and1970swhoproducedcautionary,eXtraPOlativetalesoffutureracialconflictandrace
War,Dicksawblackrevolutionasholdingnotthepotentialofwhiteenslavement,but
humanliberation･8InmeGawmedb乃keover,hostilealienshavetakenoveranEarth
alreadydividedbyracialantagonisms,buttheirplansforcompletedominationarethwarted
bythecharismaticandresourcefu1telepathicblackseparatistleaderPercyX･
8see,forexample,JohnBrunner,s771ehggedOrbit(1969),SiandonZbnzibar(1968), ShockwaveRi血･(1975),andThe酔ong助dqfTYme(1971);ChristopherPriest,sFtLgue Pr a Lhrkening hkznd(1972),Norman Spinrad,s Bug hck Bmn(1969);A.M. Lightner'sDqyqftheDrones(1969);EdmundCooper'smeLastContineni(1969);Jolm Jake'sBhzckin77me(1970)andRobertSilvetberg's"BlackisBeautifu1"(1971). 62 JohnG.Russell
PeculiarthathereonTerratheda血racesheldthelowestcaste;itwasobvious toeveryGanymedianthattheorderwasinverted丘omitsnaturalhierarchy･ Afterall,theNegroespresentedapleaslngaPpearanCeandwereendowedwith
-一byandlarge一-anatural,balancedphilosophyoflift,amOderationandsubtle humour.WhereastheWhitestendedtohangfrantica11yonthetwinhornSOf ambitionandfbar･Fearoffailure,greedtorise;abadmixture,indicatingan unstabletemperament(DickandNelson,29-30)･
Theinversion of racialhierarchiesis a fami1iar themein Dick's wofk,One he
previouslyemployedin.一FaithofOurFathers一一(1966),乃e肋nh772eHighCbstle(1962),
and一.TheTumingWheelM(1954),inwhichtheWestemracialgreatchainofbeingistumed,
ifnotcompletelyonitshead,thensomewhataskance,WithAsiansandothernon-Whites
assumlngaPOSitionatthetopoftheracialhieranhy･
Most of the Technos were CaucasianS,immense white-Skin things, incrediblyhairy,1ikeapeS;theirresemblancetothegreatapeSWaSStriking･ Pe血apsBrokenFeatherwasright;pe血apstheydidhaveNeanderthalblood andwereoutsidethepossibilityofcleamess･Sung-Wuhadalwaysconsidered himselfananti-raCist;hedislikedthosewhomaintainedtheCaucasianSWerea raceapart･ExtremistsbelievedeternaldamageWOuldresulttothespeciesifthe CaucasianSWereallowedtointermarry. Inanycase,theproblemwasacademic;nOdecent,Self-reSpeCtingwoman oftheirhigherclasses--OfIndianorMongolian,OrBantuStOCk-WOuldallow herselftobeapproachedbyaChuc(Dick1991b,60-61,0riginalemphasis)･
Dick-sevoIvingracialconsciousnessparallelsthatwhichwastakingPlaceamong
AfhcanAmericansthemselves･BythetimeDickwroteCounter-ClockⅥbrldand771e
Gαryme滋7bkeover,hewouldreconceptualizeMcConchie-sself-depreciatingspeculations
onblackracial0riginsasradiationfreaks(aspeculationthatevokesnotonlytheBiblical
curseofHambutjokesthenpopularwithintheAfhcanAmericancommmityinwhichan
ineptGod,1amentlnghislackofskillsinthecelestialkitchen,peerSintotheovenof
creationandexclaims,一一Whoops,bumedanotherone!t一),rePlacingitwithonethatseems
inspiredbyBlackMuslimeschatologylnWhichitiswhitesnotblackswhoarethe
mⅦtantS.9
9AccordingtoNationofIslam,blacksweretheOhginalMan,Whitesbeingcreated
sixty-Sixhundredyearsagobytheevil,ttbig-headed.一scientincgeniusYakubthrough EmbracingtheOther: 63 Race,Redemption,andtheBlackOtherintheLifeandWorksofPhilipK.Dick
Asascience丘ctionwriter,DickoffbredanalternativespeCulativetopographytothat
Ofhiscontemporarieswho,ironically,WhileabletoconstruCtrealisticaliensocietiesand
Cultures,Offbredonlythemostpuerileandstereotypedimagesofblacksandotherpeople
Ofcolor･Foragenrethatpridesitselfoncha11englngthestatusquo,itsdepictionofblacks
hasbeenlessthanPrOgreSSive,allowlngitsliberalfhctiontotweakitstabooswhilecareful
nottobreakthem･Asaresult,manyOfthese narratives are dated,periodpieces that
possessneitheraclearsocialvisionofaprobablefuturenorthe寧enSeOfwonderthat
Suffusesthebestwo血sinthe丘eld･Thenagaln,SCience丘ctionhasneverbeenquite
SuCCeSSfu1inpredictingsocialchange,aSitspractitionersreadilyadmit･
Sti11,manyOfDick.saltemativeAmericasareprescientlyontarget,theirvisionas
relevanttodayaswhentheywerenrstpublished.771ePenultimateThLth(1964)andthe
"MoldofYancy'●(1964),WiththeircorporateYance-menandpre-PrOgrarrmedpresidential
Simulacrum,PreSagetheReaganandBushyearsasmuchastheyparodytheBsenhower
'50s･Theweddingof(pan)capitalismand(post)commumismisarealitytoday,nOlongera
丘gmentofDickianParanOia･DickenvisionedthewondersanddangerSOfvirtualreality
long befbre cyberpunks jackedinto the concept.Where Dickls vision failed wasin
envisionlnganAmericanwherecompassionheldswayoverhatredandthecommonmen
andwomencouldovercometheirprqiudicesandembracetheOtherina門atonicwaltzof
SeVeredhalves･Intherealwodd,aSDickrealizedalltoowell,realpolicemen-unliketheir
titularcounterparts-aI℃mOreinclinedtoshedbloodthantears.
Thepolice?Thcy.rejustamachinethatdoeswhatthewiresmakeitdo,1ikea
VaCuumCleanerthatsweepsupwhatever▼sin丘ontofit,andwhatever'ssmal1
enoug血(Dick1988,188).
geneticexperimentationandallowedsubsequentlytodominatetheplanetfor6,㈱yearsin Ordertotestblackendurance.ForadiscussionofNationofIslam'seschatdogy,SeeE.U. Essien-Udom,Bkzck脇tio乃αlism.I11inois:UniversityofChicagoPress,1962;128-134and MalcolmXwithAlexHaley.772eAutobiogrqpfvQf肋IcolmX.NewYo血GrovePress, 1964:ChapterTen･ 64 JohnG.Russe11
ThepassageacqulreSadditionalresonanceinthewakeofthe1991RodneyKing
beatingandwidelyreportedsubsequentpolicebrutalizationsofblackswhichplacedin
ClearrelieftheschisminperCePtionsoftherealityofracismbetweenblacksandwhite･
Indeed,the aftermathoftheKinglnCidentcouldhave beenlifted血･Om aDicknovel,
reiteratingDicktsthematicobsessions:realityandillusion,theroleofmediainthe-quite
literal-fabricationofsocialreality,thepolicestate,raCialinsurgency,andtheubiquitous
realityofconsplraCy.InanagebeforeYouTubeandAbuGraib,thevideotapeoftheLAPD
beatingspromptedaconstantshiftingandquestionlngOfperspeCtivethatdeniedemplnCal
Closure,1eadingthe nation,ifnot the wodd,tO queStionthe veracity ofthe recorded
CarnagePreSentedtoit･ThosewhoviewedthetorturesofRodneyKing-andReginald
Denny-Wereinvitedtowitnesseventsthroughthettdispassionate,t-panopticlensofmedia
technologyandgivenachoice:tOemPathizewithordiscreditthesevictimsoforchestrated
Violenceatasecuredistance.Herethe"reality"oftheviolenceprqectedisdeniedthrough
rationalizationsthat,intum,denytheredemptiveimpylse,fortrueemPathyisnotachieved,
the boundary between Selfand Otheris not transgressed,and nationalreconciliation
defbrredthroughritualdenials.In his丘ction,Dick offtred an attractiveifdislocating
altemativewheretheboundarybetweenSelfandOther,realityandillusion-theidios
kosmosandthekoinoskosmos-COllide,deconstruCtandrealignthemselvesinafractal
intricacythatcreatesnewpossibilitiesofreconciliation.
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