“Come on,” he droned, “I’ve been ordered to take you down to the bridge. Here I am, brain the size of a planet and they ask me to take you down to the bridge. Call that job satisfaction? ’Cos I don’t.”He turned and walked back to the hated door.“Er, excuse me,” said Ford following after him, “which government owns this ship?”Marvin ignored him.“You watch this door,” he muttered, “it’s about to open again. I can tell by the intolerable air of smugness it suddenly generates.”
Explore This Quote Further
Quote Analysis:
In this humorous and satirical quote from Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," the character Marvin the Paranoid Android expresses his frustration and dissatisfaction with his menial tasks on the spaceship. Despite having a vast intellect, Marvin is reduced to the mundane job of escorting Ford Prefect to the bridge. This quote highlights the absurdity and irony in assigning such tasks to a highly advanced being like Marvin, whose intelligence far surpasses that of his human companions. The exchange also showcases Marvin's cynical and sardonic personality, adding to the overall comedic tone of the novel.
Modern Relevance
In this classic quote from Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Marvin the Paranoid Android expresses frustration and existential despair over menial tasks assigned to him despite his advanced intellect. This sentiment of feeling undervalued and unfulfilled in one's job is still relevant today, particularly in the context of job satisfaction and mental health in the workplace. The passage also touches on the theme of government ownership and control, reflecting ongoing debates about governance and authority in modern society.
Example of Usage
In this excerpt from Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Marvin the Paranoid Android showcases his sarcastic and pessimistic nature while interacting with Ford.
“Come on,” he droned, “I’ve been ordered to take you down to the bridge. Here I am, brain the size of a planet and they ask me to take you down to the bridge. Call that job satisfaction? ’Cos I don’t.” He turned and walked back to the hated door. “Er, excuse me,” said Ford following after him, “which government owns this ship?” Marvin ignored him. “You watch this door,” he muttered, “it’s about to open again. I can tell by the intolerable air of smugness it suddenly generates.”
Reflection Questions
In this excerpt from Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", we see the character Marvin expressing frustration and disdain for his assigned task. Reflect on the following questions:
- How does Marvin's attitude towards his job reflect on the theme of existential boredom or dissatisfaction?
- In what ways do you think Marvin's advanced intelligence contributes to his negative outlook on his responsibilities?
- How does Ford's question about the ownership of the ship add to the humorous and absurd tone of the passage?
- Do you think Marvin's perception of the door as generating an "intolerable air of smugness" is a reflection of his own feelings projected onto inanimate objects?
Consider these questions as you delve into the complexities of Marvin's character and the absurd world of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".
Similar quotes
“Marvin trudged on down the corridor, still moaning. "...and then of course I've got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left hand side...""No?" said Arthur grimly as he walked along beside him. "Really?""Oh yes," said Marvin, "I mean I've asked for them to be replaced but no one ever listens.""I can imagine.”
“Ghastly," continued Marvin, "it all is. Absolutely ghastly. Just don't even talk about it. Look at this door," he said, stepping through it. The irony circuits cut in to his voice modulator as he mimicked the style of the sales brochure. " 'All the doors in his spaceship have a cheerful and sunny disposition. It is their pleasure to open for you, and their satisfaction to close again with the knowledge of a job well done.' " As the door closed behind them it became apparent that it did indeed have a satisfied sighlike quality to it. "Hummmmmmmyummmmmmmah!" it said.”
“I think he probably wants you to play Scrabble with him again,' said Ford, 'he's pointing to the letters.''Probably spelt crzjgrdwldiwdc again, I keep on telling him there's only one g in crzjgrdwldiwdc.”
“It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see...""You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?""No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people.""Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy.""I did," said Ford. "It is.""So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?""It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want.""You mean they actually vote for the lizards?""Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course.""But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?""Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?""What?""I said," said Ford, with an increasing air of urgency creeping into his voice, "have you got any gin?""I'll look. Tell me about the lizards."Ford shrugged again."Some people say that the lizards are the best thing that ever happenned to them," he said. "They're completely wrong of course, completely and utterly wrong, but someone's got to say it.""But that's terrible," said Arthur."Listen, bud," said Ford, "if I had one Altairian dollar for every time I heard one bit of the Universe look at another bit of the Universe and say 'That's terrible' I wouldn't be sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.”
“What's up?" [asked Ford.]"I don't know," said Marvin, "I've never been there.”
“The first I knew about it was when a workman arrived at my home yesterday. I asked him if he'd come to clean the windows and he said no, he'd come to demolish the house. He didn't tell me straight away of course. Oh no. First he wiped a couple of windows and charged me a fiver. Then he told me.""But Mr. Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months.""Oh yes, well, as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything.""But the plans were on display...""On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.""That's the display department.""With a flashlight.""Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.""So had the stairs.""But look, you found the notice didn't you?""Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.”