Cоntents intrоductiоn I chаpter

3.3. Discussion of the relevance of the novel to contemporary political and social problems
I agree has a strong political structure,but in other ways it seems bland and less powerful than so many of his other novels.It remained unpublished until after his death,before which he was asked for a rewrite,but transformed it into a totally different novel,ergo “Valis”.What you said about “The Transmigration of Timothy Archer” might be true,but I think it’s just a better novel than the other book.It takes place in a then contemporary world that is real,with only asides and casual happenings as to the metaphysical,and so could be said to deal with everyday politics.
“The Divine Invasion” I would be much more inclined to agree with you about.It seems though to be a return to the novels of his earlier tone, humour and inventive brilliance,that is non-existant in the more lugubrious “Valis”,but seems to fade into a fog of pseudo religious theology.In that way I would agree with you.
Institutional religion?Except prehaps for his later novels I’ve just discussed,there’s very rarely any formal religion or religious leaders in his books.The only example that comes to mind,is the robot padre in “Galactic Pot-Healer”,one of Dick’s cranky talking machines he was famous for,and that book is an excellent example of political suppression.However,”Counter-Clock World” does have a religious leader in the form of the Anarch Peak,whose foundation stone now though,is the fact that he’s risen from the dead,and has therefore actual prove of God.His emergence from the grave though,has sparked rebellion among the masses,and is seen as a political threat to the prevailing government,not a new religion.Now I don’t think you can get a much better instance of metaphysics and politics merging than that.
In that novel though,just as I’ve hinted,the real focus is about religious experience that I wrote about earlier,rather than formal state religion.This is clearly what interested Dick than any prevailing church religion.I don’t see this then as having any role in the political life of the proletarian in his literary fiction.
Regarding the workplace and consumerism I can well agree.The best examples that immediately spring to mind are “Martian Time-Slip” and “The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch”.In the first book,service men such as the honest Jack Bohlen are seen as indispensable to the safe running of the Martian colonies,and will emerge as the true “heroes” of the novel,while his boss,the scheming Arnie Knott,has little regard for their workmanship,and will attempt to use the autistic savant boy Manfred Steiner,who can already see his future,which will be due to political manipulation back on Earth,as a means to gain power to tighten his hold on the plumbers union on the planet.In “The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch”,consumer culture has become the means to make life bearable for the poor Martian colonists,with a role playing game brought to life by a drug.Here I suppose consumerism can be seen pushed to it’s limits,and the eventual conflict between Bulero and Eldritch,can be seen as a battle between two rival corporate giants for control of the drug trade and game accessories for supplying the Martian colonies,but one that stretches into the transcendent.Leo Bulero though is the ruthless business man with a heart of gold,balanced against the sinister avatar of God,Palmer Eldritch.
Drugs were a facet of Dick’s literary fiction,in this book,and “Faith of Our Fathers”,that mixed their use with the themes of religious experience and politics.What part do they have within his context of politics then?