A single theme emerged throughout PKDs stories. Fear motivated many of the characters. In each story there was some controlling
force, often the government, that was pushing in on the characters. They were afraid that something would be
taken from them. This was often their
lives. In The Preserving Machine Dr. Labyrinth held a great love for
classical music. He feared that as time
progressed that it would be lost. His
machine was used to create the living incarnations of the music he loved so dearly. These creatures were so different than what
he imagined them to be. They were ugly
and real unlike the elaborate conceptions that the mind creates upon listening
to the beautiful compositions. Once
released into the wild the creature evolved to survive or died trying. The progression of time and life is not
something that anyone can control.
Nature was the controlling force that crushed Dr. Labyrinth’s visions of
salvaging the great music he treasured.
So ultimately maybe PKD isn’t warning of the future as much as exploring
what could come and persuading his readers to enjoy this moment in time.
