Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Living… in a West Country village in an old, squat house surrounded by loads of farmland. He lived in London for a short while, but cities make Arthur feel anxious and annoyed. Unfortunately, his farmhouse is about to cause him plenty of anguish as well, as the town seems intent on demolishing it to make way for a bypass.
Visiting… space. Actually, it’s not really a visit, seeing as his home planet has been destroyed by the Vogons, and Arthur doesn’t have anywhere else to go. As he understands it, “I seem to be having tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle. As soon as I reach some definite policy about what is my kind of music and my kind of restaurant and my kind of overdraft, people start blowing up my kind of planet and throwing me out of their kind of spaceships!” Poor Mr. Dent.
Profession… working at a local radio. Arthur is constantly reminding others that it is a lot more interesting than they probably think. Hey, at least it’s better than working in advertising, like most of his friends.
Interests… drinking tea and having a perfectly ordinary, space-free lifestyle. Unfortunately, he does not get to indulge in either, seeing as the Nutrimatic Drinks Dispenser on the Heart of Gold keeps delivering cups of liquid that are “almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.”
Relationship Status… single. But he did once attempt to hook up with a beautiful and brilliant astrophysicist named Tricia McMillan at a party in Islington. Unfortunately, she left with another guy.
Challenge… adjusting to life after everything he knows has been destroyed. Earth is no more, and Arthur is not taking it well. He just wants to go back to the way things were pre-Vogon attack. Alas, it is not to be, and Arthur is stuck on the Heart of Gold, whizzing through the infinite mysteries of space.
Personality… incredibly ordinary and perpetually confused. Arthur is not a hero or an adventurer. He’s just a normal guy who somehow wound up in space. And he never has any idea what is going on, much to the chagrin of his traveling companions who are sick of having to explain the nuts and bolts of interstellar travel. But hey, what do you expect? Arthur has just lost his entire planet. Give the man some time to adjust!
Get to Know him in...
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Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
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Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor. Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox—the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years. Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? Why do we spend so much time between wearing digital watches? For all the answers stick your thumb to the stars. And don't forget to bring a towel!
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Don't Panic! The story of Arthur Dent, an average Englishman who life was spared by his friend, who turned out to be an alien, while the planet Earth is destroyed. His friend tells him about the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a guide with anything you ever needed, and wanted to know. They travel across the galaxy, meeting friendly, and not so friendly characters in order to find the great question (the answer being 42).
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You are Arthur Dent, an Englishman with a bad hangover wearing a dressing gown containing a much needed buffered analgesic and some fluff. Your house has just been destroyed, followed shortly thereafter by your planet Earth (mostly harmless). You've been rescued by your friend Ford Prefect, who's not actually an out-of-work actor. He has given you a book (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), a towel, and is now telling you to put a fish in your ear. It must be a Thursday; you've never quite gotten the hang of Thursdays. Death can come quickly if Arthur fails to observe his surroundings, collect inventory, talk to people, and consult the Guide. Don't Panic!
