The Chromium Fence and We Can't Remember It for You Wholesale

A notable characteristic of science fiction, as a genre, is its futuristic setting that depicts how the world will become in the near future.  It is a way for the authors of science fiction to provide their viewpoint on many subjects of humanity and how they see the world evolving.  One of the most notable ideas of Philip K. Dick is not just what reality is regarding the role memories; furthermore, one is his depiction of the government in the future.  Philip K. Dick sees the government as controlling entities in the future.  In the future the government will be controlling in ways that today are seen as violations of our basic human rights.  This is seen as a central issue in The Chromium Fence where the government even has control over how someone appears and can simply disintegrate their bodies if people refuse to follow their laws.  The government control is also seen in We Can’t Remember It For You Wholesale where the interplan cops are able to listen to an individual’s thoughts and where anything they think can be used against them.  These controversial issues over government control were prominent in Philip K. Dick’s life where he was influenced by the anti-war and anti-government mind-set of that time and participated in anti-war activities.  Philip K. Dick’s position on governmental control also addresses the relationship between the individual and the government.  He addresses the fact that we have become separate from our morality to where we allow the government to take action that is not in our interest. In The Chromium Fence the clash between Don and the government is referencing the minority’s role in government; how the government is only beneficial to the majority and willingly overrides the desires and needs of the underrepresented groups.