The Taming Power of the Great

The Taming Power of the Great is the twenty-sixth hexagram of the I Ching, the ancient Chinese oracle that permeates Philip K. Dick's novel The Man in the High Castle. In the story, it appears as the transformed state of Hexagram Eleven (Peace) when its top line moves, and it carries a favorable judgment that contrasts sharply with the ominous moving line that produces it. The hexagram symbolizes a moment of great potential and power that must be restrained and directed, reflecting the novel's themes of fate, free will, and the interplay between fortune and doom.

The Hexagram's Role in Frank Frink's Consultation

Frank Frink, a recently fired metalworker, consults the I Ching in the lounge of W-M Corporation after his former shop foreman Ed McCarthy suggests he start a creative jewelry business. Frink throws the coins and obtains Hexagram Eleven, Peace, with a moving six at the top. The judgment of Peace is auspicious: "The small departs. The great approaches. Good fortune. Success." However, the moving line reads: "The wall falls back into the moat. Use no army now. Make your commands known within your own town. Perseverance brings humiliation." This line, which Frink recognizes as one of the most dismal in the entire book, transforms the hexagram into The Taming Power of the Great. Frink is initially horrified, interpreting the line as a prophecy of doom, possibly even a Third World War. Yet he realizes that the judgment of the original hexagram is good, and the moving line is the only way Peace can change into The Taming Power of the Great. He concludes that the judgment applies to his personal work, while the line applies to all mankind, and he decides to proceed with the jewelry venture despite the ominous warning.

The Meaning of The Taming Power of the Great

The Taming Power of the Great, known in Chinese as Ta Ch'u, represents a period of great strength and potential that must be held in check. Its favorable judgment indicates that one can achieve success by exercising restraint and accumulating resources. In the context of Frink's consultation, the hexagram suggests that his new business venture, Edfrank Custom Jewelry, has the potential for great success, but only if he approaches it with discipline and patience. The contrast between the favorable judgment and the ominous moving line underscores the novel's central tension between fate and free will: the oracle offers guidance, but the individual must choose how to act. Frink's decision to embrace the favorable judgment and ignore the dire line reflects his hope and determination, even as he remains haunted by the possibility of catastrophe.

The Hexagram's Thematic Significance

The Taming Power of the Great resonates with the novel's broader exploration of historicity and authenticity. Just as the hexagram represents a powerful force that must be tamed, the characters in the novel grapple with the power of history and the need to control or reinterpret it. Frink's jewelry, which is original and contemporary, stands in contrast to the forged historical artifacts that dominate the market. The hexagram's emphasis on restraint and accumulation mirrors the novel's critique of the Nazi and Japanese empires, which have accumulated power through conquest and destruction. The Taming Power of the Great thus serves as a symbol of the potential for creative, constructive force—if it can be properly channeled. Frink's eventual arrest and release, and his return to the workshop, suggest that he has internalized the hexagram's lesson: to keep working, to keep creating, even in the face of uncertainty and doom.