Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick
"Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said" is a science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick that explores themes of identity, reality, and the nature of interpersonal relationships within a dystopian setting. The narrative centers on Jason Taverner, a famous television personality who finds himself in a disorienting new world after a bizarre encounter with a gelatinous creature. In this strange reality, he discovers that he has no identity and does not officially exist, thrusting him into a grim police state governed by Felix Buckman, a bureaucrat with a complex personal life. Buckman, who is embroiled in an incestuous relationship with his sister Alys, is portrayed with depth that evokes both disdain and sympathy from readers.
Alys, a charismatic and rebellious character, plays a crucial role in the unfolding plot, which takes a dark turn as Taverner becomes a suspect in her mysterious death. The story delves into the implications of a reality-altering drug known as KR-3, which has significant effects on perception and identity, reflecting the interconnectedness of Taverner's and Alys's lives. As the narrative unfolds, it raises questions about the constructs of social norms and personal connections in a repressive society. Ultimately, the novel challenges readers to consider the fragility of identity in a world where personal realities can be manipulated and erased.
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Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
First published: 1974
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—inner space
Time of work: 1988
Locale: Los Angeles, California
The Plot
The plot of Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said is an interesting variation of Philip K. Dick’s characteristic multifocused plot style, which consists of many characters whose lives slowly become intertwined. In this novel, Dick focuses on only two characters, but they are highly original, and their personal lives mirror each others, in ways that often are quite subtle.
The novel begins by introducing world-famous television personality Jason Taverner. The self-centered, egotistical Taverner answers an earnest summons from a former protégée of his, Marilyn Mason. He unknowingly walks into a trap arranged by her and is set upon by a Callisto cuddle sponge, a gelatinous creature that plunges its many feeding tubes deep into Taverner’s body. He loses consciousness, only to awake in a seedy hotel in a poverty-ridden part of town.
Taverner quickly discovers that he is unknown in the world in which he has awakened. Because he has no identification papers, he does not exist officially in this world. Moreover, the world into which Taverner has been thrown is a police state, ruled by the bureaucratic police chief, Felix Buckman, the other major protagonist in the novel. Buckman seems to be the sort of bureaucrat one could easily detest; it is a testament to Dick’s skill that he is capable of eliciting the readers deepest sympathies.
It is revealed that Buckman lives in an incestuous relationship with his sister Alys and has fathered a child, named Barney, by her. Alys Buckman is one of Dick’s many memorable characters. She is a tall, charismatic, drug-addicted, leather-clad bisexual who revels in breaking all social and moral rules, in contrast to her brother-husband Felix, bound to uphold the laws of his society.
It is Alys who emerges as a key figure in resolving the plot. She meets Taverner and invites him to her and Felixs home, where she inexplicably wishes to play the perfect hostess to him. After a lengthy absence, during which she has left Taverner alone in order to procure a drug for him, Taverner discovers that Alys is in fact dead. Taverner is charged by the authorities with her murder, but it is discovered that Alys was experimenting with a highly controlled, reality-shifting drug known only as KR-3. The drug affected not only her perceptual system but also the perceptual systems of all those individuals who existed within her own fantasy world. The drug had the effect of dragging others into her imagined world. Because Taverner was such a famous personality, he had become an integral part of her fantasy life. Also central to her life was her brother-husband Felix, the policeman alluded to in the novels title.
Bibliography
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