A Schaanner Darkly Analysis

In a world where the narcotics have totally dominated America’s citizens, a drug by the name of “Substance D” splits the brain into two, where neither side of the brain knows that they exist, or what the other is even doing. A Scanner Darkly, written by Philip K. Dick, focuses on an undercover agent by the name of Fred, who is tasked with bringing down a drug dealer and junkie by the name of Robert Arctor. The only complication to this task is that Fred and Robert are the same person. Through this journey of paranoia and madness, Fred/Bob struggles to realize that each other exists; and when they eventually do, the drug has already altered his mind beyond repair. Confusion and chaos persists throughout this story of a society that never withdraws. The underlying social commentary in A Scanner Darkly has to do with the deadly consequences of drugs. Robert Arctor most definitely experiences these consequences firsthand with his usage of Substance D; resulting in Arctor not being able to think and care for himself, landing him in a rehabilitation facility for the rest of his life. Not only did Dick write the story to tell of the effects of drugs, but to also tell his own experience with them as well. He based his characters on people that he personally knew, and most importantly himself as Bob Arctor. In the Author’s Note, Philip
For example, drug use is on the rise in our nation. “ 23.5 million Americans are addicted to alcohol and drugs. That’s approximately one in every 10 Americans over the age of 12 – roughly equal to the entire population of Texas.” (PDFK) This statistic is not only shocking, but really helps visualize how massive the drug industry has become. Dick uses his past exposure to drugs, and the consequences that came with it, to help create a story that forewarns readers not to follow the same path. Drug use is certainly a modern issue that needs to be