Philip Dick Readings

One of Dick's popular short stories was The Chromium Fence. Compared to the other stories in the reader, I found this story most plausible in relation to society's conditions today. Our generation has quickly become amassed with trends and acculturation. We are becoming increasingly comfortable and we desire familiarity and even in some cases, conformity. Despite our own claims of individualism and uniqueness, the majority of our ideas have existed previously, and the questions arise, regarding the relationship between an individual and his or her society. In the story, Walsch struggles with these ideas, as he takes the middle-ground approach, ultimately believing that this in itself is a "very strong creed." (Reader 153) Walsch deviates from what is expected in his world by opposing both the Naturalist and Purist parties (yet also showing characteristics of both). In the end, he assumes death as the only escape from his unfortunate and unforgiving reality. I felt much sympathy towards Walsch because of his powerless position at the crossroad.