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Chapter 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Man in the High Castle, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Prejudice and Power
History vs. Daily Life
Authenticity vs. Originality
Agency vs. Chance
Moral Ambiguity and Forgiveness
Art, Perspective, and Truth
Summary
Analysis
Two weeks later, Ed and Frank have created a sample line of their metal jewelry. They have used only good quality materials, and they have devoted great care and a lot of time to each piece; the result is that their work, mostly abstract “whirls of wire,” looks very professional and precise. The first person Ed and Frank want to sell to is Childan; however, only Ed can go into the store, as “Childan would certainly remember Frank Frink.”
Ed and Frank have devoted a great deal of time to make something truly artful and original—but the only person they have to sell to is Childan, who only carries antiques. There is no truly no place for new American creation in the PSA. Most important to note, though, is that Frank was the mysterious Jewish visitor who told Childan about the fake guns.
Themes
Frank’s thoughts drift to Juliana; he wonders if she will be impressed by his new venture, and he pictures how she would look wearing the jewelry. While Ed gears up to talk to Childan, Frank decides that he will send several boxes of their jewelry to Juliana—and maybe one day, she can even act as their model. Frank’s momentary excitement is cut short when he pictures Juliana sleeping with other men. Ed and Frank arrive at Childan’s antique shop. Ed enters the shop, and Frank realizes how afraid he is that their jewelry venture will fail.
Even in the midst of this critical professional moment, Frank’s thoughts wander to Juliana, suggesting how much he values that relationship over everything else in his life. Frank knows his ex-wife well, however, and he is right about the fact that she is sleeping with other men.
Themes
Juliana and Joe wake up together in Juliana’s Canon City apartment. Juliana has decided she will no longer go into the gym where she teaches Judo; instead, she wants to take a trip with Joe. Luckily, Joe suggests just such a trip to Denver. He pulls out a lot of money, promising that he will buy nice clothes and maybe go see a show. While Juliana admires the money, she is surprised to see that Joe also owns an expensive-looking, heavy, cylindrical fountain pen.
Something about Joe’s life does not quite add up: he has more money than a truck driver should, and the pen seems far fancier than anything he could afford (or would even want).
Themes
Now excited about his plan, Joe roughhouses with Juliana and pleads with her to teach him good manners; he is particularly concerned with getting rid of his “wop accent.” When Juliana wonders how Joe has so much money to burn, Joe explains that he is not really a truck driver. Rather, he sits on the truck to ward off hijackers—and to prove his point, he pulls out as a knife as if “from the air itself.”
More than almost any other character in the novel, Joe has internalized Nazi racism; he frequently berates himself for being a “wop,” which is an ethnic slur for an Italian person. On another note, Juliana’s fear of him seems increasingly prophetic. He is not a truck driver but something more dangerous, and the presence of the knife creates unmissable tension.
Themes
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Joe claims that he had killed an important British colonel in Cairo, and that ever since, the Reich had trusted him to act as security of sorts. Juliana, however, does not believe this story. She wonders if Joe is a pick-up artist, or if he is really “some poor low-class wop laboring slob with delusions of glory.” Juliana tries to shake these doubts off and berates herself for her “neurotic fear of the masculine.” Joe informs Juliana that, although they are taking her car, he will drive—but he will let her read his copy of the Grasshopper book on the way.
Juliana, who has previously shown herself to be biased against Jewish and Japanese people, now also reveals her anti-Italian bias. Thus, even as she distrusts much of what Joe says about himself, she never second-guesses her prejudiced assessment that he is a “low-class wop” (echoing the same ethnic slur that Joe used to describe himself).
Themes
Back in San Francisco, Childan notices that a man in a “less-than-fashionable suit”—Ed McCarthy—has entered his store. Ed tells Childan that he is a representative of Edfrank jewelry, and he presents Childan with their line of “contemporary” metal pieces. Childan is uninterested; he is too focused on dealing with the problem of the forged antiques. He is still deeply troubled by the discovery of the fake Colt .44, which implicates not just U.S. history but also his own history. “As if,” he thinks, a “question might arise as to authenticity of our own birth certificate.”
Childan initially has no interest in the jewelry, which represents novelty and the future. Instead, he dwells on the uncertain past signaled by the fake guns. It becomes clear here how deeply the forgery has affected Childan: his lack of knowledge about these historical objects makes him feel that he does not have a legitimate claim to either his nation’s history or his own personal past.
Themes
Even though Childan is not paying attention, Ed is still nervously making his sales pitch. Childan decides that, since this man is clearly inexperienced, he might be willing to let Childan sell the items on consignment (meaning that Childan gets the jewelry for free, and that if any of it is purchased, he will split the profits with Edfrank). Childan invites Ed to showcase the jewelry, and Ed very slowly begins to lay it all out.
Even as Childan worries about his history and his place in the PSA, he cannot force himself to pay attention to Ed’s pitch. In other words, even though his history is in doubt, Childan struggles to imagine a future.
Themes
Childan helps another set of customers, and then returns to Ed. As Ed speaks faster and faster, Childan begins to select pieces from the collection. Ed’s excitement at having made such a huge sale is palpable—until Childan explains that he will only buy this “untried merchandise” on consignment. Ed is devastated, especially when Childan emphasizes that on consignment, he will not assume any liability for the items.
Given all the work and money Frank and Ed have put into this jewelry, selling it on consignment is a worst-case scenario. Childan’s offer once again underscores the lack of a market for any original American art.
Themes
Ed reluctantly agrees to leave the jewelry on consignment, but he also leaves Childan with the Edfrank business card. After Ed leaves, Childan thinks that even if it is unlikely the jewelry sells, it still reflects very impressive handiwork. Moreover, “with these,” he realizes, “there’s no problem of authenticity.” As the incident with the fake Colt .44 proves, the authenticity problem may one day destroy the antiques industry.
Here, however, Childan begins to consider that the jewelry might be something more than he initially realized. It has no claim to history, and so there can be “no problem of authenticity.” In a moment where the past is so contested and confused, Childan wonders if this jewelry can help his industry move into the future.
Themes
Inspiration strikes: Childan will present Betty Kasoura with a small pin from the Edfrank collection, patching up his relationship with the Kasouras and introducing the line to the Japanese public. Childan then decides that it is too forward to go directly to Betty, and so resolves to bring the gift to Paul. He congratulates himself on an airtight plan.
Hoping to promote such novel artwork, Childan decides to go through the Kasouras—even though he has just damaged his relationship with him. Once again, because of his race, he has to be extra careful to avoid any suggestion of impropriety with Betty.
Themes
When Ed returns to the truck, Frank is anxious to know what has happened. Ed explains that he gave the jewelry to Childan on consignment—something the two men had explicitly agreed they would not do. Ed and Frank sit together in the truck in silence.
Though Ed’s actions have been devastating to Edfrank as a business, this moment of silence testifies to the strength of the men’s bond. Rather than being angry, Frank and Ed merely share a quiet moment of sadness with each other.
Themes
