h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm re-reading the Hitchhiker's series for the third or fourth time, just finished the third book last night. I still love it, still count the first book as the best book I've ever read. I'm trying to remember any instances where Marvin acts paranoid. He's depressed and depressing, kind of disgusted by all humanoids and life forms, suicidal at some points, but I can't think of one example where his behavior could be described as paranoid.

What am I missing? They just call him "paranoid android" because it rhymes, right?

Dang - I'll just have to re-read all the books to check ... what a hardship

Mol

sounds about right to me. I mean, the underlying subtext is that he thinks the universe is out to get him, and evidence in the book seems to prove him right, but that paranoia manifests itself in his depression. I don't think it is paranoid as one would think of the cartoon type portrayal as such, but if one was convinced the universe was out to get one one could get somewhat depressed about it, and that's what he does.

I disagree. Marvin seems to think that the universe is out to get everyone, not just him. He thinks life is a big pain for everyone. Also he seems resigned to the fact that bad things will continue to happen to him, not avoiding it like you'd think a delusional paranoid person would. Not at all fearful.

I'm sticking with the just-because-it-rhymes theory.

Ah, well, I guess agree to disagree thing comes in here I'm not so sure that marvin is imbued with such a sense of empathy as you give him.

"Also he seems resigned to the fact that bad things will continue to happen to him, not avoiding it like you'd think a delusional paranoid person would. Not at all fearful."
Paranoia does not exlcude resignation to ones fate. Indeed, the inability to prevent the 'them' being out to get you would be the caus eof depression. Fearful? Not necessarily. If one knows they are out to get you, and that they are incapable of being stopped, and you are expecting 'them' to always be doing something to get at you, I should imagine that for certain personality types the fear quickly subsides.

But what I'd really like to know is why we are attempting to psychoanalyze a fictional character

I wasn't trying to psychoanalyze a fictional character (although Freud was known to make psychological judgments about authors based on their fiction). I was hoping to find evidence that Douglas Adams was not exhibiting a misunderstanding of what paranoid means. Here's where we agree to disagree still.

However I think Zaphod or Arthur first coined the phrase "paranoid android" about Marvin, and the other characters who say it (if any?) may only be repeating that joke. So we could safely say that those characters may not have understood the meaning of paranoid, even though Douglas Adams probably did.

I'm not sure but I think the phrase 'paranoid android' is used only once in all the books, and I am sure it's Zaphod that says it in the first book.
Zaphod would say it 'cause it sounds good, he wouldn't have thought of any deeper implications.
DM

It's from Resturant at the End of the Universe, when they're at the resturant and the waiter brings them the phone. It goes something like:

Waiter: I don't know the metal gentleman in question...
Arthur: Metal?
Ford: Marvin!
Zaphod: The paranoid android! Hand me the rap-rod, plate captain.

plate captain

DM

It's also in the first book when they're on Magrathea - Zaphod again...

ZB - Oh, the Paranoid Android. Yeah, we'll take him.
AD - But what are supposed to do with a manically depressed robot?

Marvin -

"You think you've got problems," said Marvin as if he was addressing
a newly occupied coffin, "what are you supposed to do if you are a
manically depressed robot? No, don't bother to answer that, I'm fifty
thousand times more intelligent than you and even I don't know the
answer. It gives me a headache just trying to think down to your level."




I keep forgetting just what a brilliant writer DNA actually was!

And yes, I am sad enough to have a copy of the books at hand

He may not think the universe is out to get him, but he certainly thinks that people care less about him than they actually do. "What do you think they gave me, a menial robot, to defend myself with - nothing!"

He's also well aware of his own capabilities but thinks that others see him as some kind of unintelligent slave - "open airlock number 2 Marvin, Marvin can you pick up that piece of paper?"

I think the rest of the crew are actually quite fond of him. They are also well aware of what he can do although they don't tend to voice it very often, probably because they know it would just make him worse. Surely this fundamental disparity between his *perception* of others opinions towards him and their *actual* opinions is paranoia?

Aaaargh, Whisky, you're right, he mentions "manically depressed" too without much accuracy. When was Marvin ever manic? Most people who throw around that term apply it to sporadic bouts of depression, but I'd argue against that in Marvin's case too. His depression seems consistent.

Worse, it was super-intelligent Marvin who diagnosed himself that way, so it can't be easily written off as Zaphod tossing words around carelessly.

As much as I love the books, especially the way DNA cuts to the heart of religion and philosophy with a few deft words, I have to say his understanding of abnormal psychology seems to have been limited. ...or else I'm taking it too seriously.

I'm guessing "brain the size of a planet," may not have been entirely accurate either.

I forget what they used to call it in Marvel Comics letter columns, the "award" given to people who came up with implausible yet snappy explanations for mistakes or continuity errors. Here's my attempt to win one...

Perhaps Marvin had a brain that was literally the size of a planet which he accessed remotely, or which was stowed in some convenient extra-dimensional hyperspace pocket that only he could access. Improbable, but not infinitely so.

Yeah, he was probably just exaggerating.

Marvin was a manic depressive tell me about it hoh yus he was, never really paranoid as such, just manic, manic, manic, manic, manic, manic i tell you, he was manic, but was he a he, or a she? he was manic I know that much, manic I say, but what I say is well you know, kind of not really. like. You know, manic.

Arthur- What about Marvin?
ZB- Oh, the consistantly depressed robot? We'll take him with us.

I vote for the "Zaphod thought it would sound cool" explanation.

Also, I always thought that "brain the size of a planet" was a figure of speech referring to brain capacity, not size. (although the movie producers seem to think this means he should have a really big head.)

you just all have it in for me.

About the 'Brain the size or a Planet'... I'm pretty sure I've read that Marvin actually did have a brain the size of a planet and that it sat out somewhere in Hyperspace - god only knows where I read this but I think the original source was DNA...

Are we taking this too seriously?

Psychoanalysing fictional characters from a sci-fi comedy book/radio series/towel/stageshow?



Nooooo!!!

Whisky,

you are correct, Marvin's brain was in hyperspace but I can't remember where this was actually stated either.

In the TV show, the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation ad shows a robot exactly like Marvin frolicking manically on a beach.

And in the radio show he sounded pretty manic after he'd fallen 15 miles from the nutrimatic cup and 1 mile through solid rock.

Maybe Marvin's more manic in the radio series. I haven't heard all of that, so I'm foolishly taking the books as gospel. Just finished re-reading them all a few days ago (The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide, 1997 if that makes any difference) and I didn't notice anything in there about Marvin's brain in hyperspace. Maybe that idea was from some other story or DNA interview or possibly the tv series?