There is a line somewhere in that translates out to, roughly, 'The world is awful.' Yes, I said to myself as I shot across the Bay Bridge not giving a fuck how fast I drove, that sums it up. That is high art: 'The world is awful.' That says it all. This is what we pay composers and painters and the great writers to do: tell us this; from figuring this out, they earn a living. What a masterful, incisive insight. What penetrating intelligence. A rat in a drain ditch could tell you the same thing, were it able to talk. If rats could talk, I'd do anything they said.
In "The Transmigration of Timothy Archer," Philip K. Dick captures a stark view of reality with the line 'The world is awful.' This sentiment resonates with the narrator as they drive fast across the Bay Bridge, reflecting a certain nihilism towards life's struggles. It suggests that art, in its various forms, aims to distill profound truths about existence, specifically the profound dissatisfaction with the state of the world.
The narrator appreciates the role of artists in articulating such bleak insights, noting their importance in society. Yet, there’s an ironic twist; the truth about the world’s awfulness is so simple that even a rat could express it. This leads to a humorous contemplation on the nature of wisdom and communication, underscoring the idea that even the most profound statements about life can come from unexpected places, like a rat in a drain ditch.