Hawthorne Abendsen's Truth

The author of the banned counterfactual novel is confronted by a stranger who tells him that his fiction is the only truth.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Writing in the High Castle

Writing in the High Castle Context Hawthorne Abendsen is known as the paranoid author of The Grasshopper Lies Heavy. He lives in a half-mythical fortress, protected by barbed wire and guns. Turning Point In the course of the novel, we learn that he has moved back to an ordinary house in Cheyenne. His isolation has failed, and he no longer hides. Significance Abendsen's fate is to be the author of a forbidden world. His book is more dangerous than any weapon, and the SD wants him dead.

An Open House

An Open House Context Juliana expects a fortress but finds a house full of neighbors and friends. Hawthorne is tall and warm, wearing a beautifully tailored suit, and his wife Caroline is quick and competent. Turning Point Juliana asks him face-to-face how he knew about the other world in his book. He tries to deflect, but she refuses to leave. Significance The open house is the end of Abendsen's hiding. He is now exposed not only to the SD but to the truth he has hidden from himself.

The Question of the Oracle

The Question of the Oracle Context Juliana insists that Abendsen's book was written by the I Ching. His wife confirms that he consulted the oracle for every choice in the novel, thousands of hexagrams. Turning Point Juliana throws the coins and receives Hexagram Sixty-one, Inner Truth. She tells Abendsen that the book is true — Germany and Japan lost the war. Significance The revelation strikes the author with the force of a die. Abendsen cannot accept it, but he cannot deny it either.

The Author's Denial

The Author's Denial Context Abendsen reacts with anger and irony, refusing to accept the consequence of his own book. He tells Juliana she has a strange mind, but he does not argue with the oracle. Turning Point Caroline is upset by Juliana's disruptive presence, but Hawthorne calls her a little chthonic spirit and thanks her for what she did in Denver. He then walks away to get a drink. Significance Abendsen's fate is to live with a truth too large to be faced. He has written the truth without knowing it, and now he must carry that knowledge.

The Warning Left Behind

The Warning Left Behind Context Juliana tells Hawthorne and Caroline to hide, because the SD will send another killer. Abendsen says he no longer worries about it and will rely on the oracle when he is edgy. Turning Point He does not promise to carry a weapon or change his life. He simply stays in his body, in his house, in his story. Significance Abendsen's fate remains unresolved. He is the prophet of an alternative world, and the reader must imagine what he will do with the truth he has been forced to recognize.

before Juliana arrives, the author's seclusion

the night Juliana walks into his living room

after Juliana casts the coins

after the oracle reading

when Juliana leaves the house