The Builder (short story)
"The Builder" is a
Plot summary
The story centers around a man named Elwood living with his family in 1950s suburbia. He builds a boat in his back yard, to great annoyance to his wife and neighbors. When they ask him why he builds it, he tells them he doesn't know. Elwood exhibits post traumatic stress disorder, and shuns most people around him, including his family and co-workers. One day, he decides to go home in the middle of his job to work on the boat. He gazes at the boat, wondering why he's building it. As it starts raining, he finally realizes why.
Reception
According to Steven Owen Godersky: "Phil Dick's third major theme is his fascination with war and his fear and hatred of it. One hardly sees critical mention of it, yet it is as integral to his body of work as oxygen is to water."[4]
References
- ISBN 0-934438-33-1
- ISBN 0-916063-24-0
- ISBN 0-916063-24-0
- ISBN 0-8065-1153-2
External links
- The Builder title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- The Builder at the Internet Archive