Original artwork, not a still
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy · 1979
Sorry, did I say something wrong? said Marvin, dragging himself on regardless. "Pardon me for breathing, which I never do anyway so I don't know why I bother to say it, oh God I'm so depressed. Here's another of those self-satisfied doors. Life! Don't talk to me about life."
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Marvin turns self-pity into comedy: he apologises for existing, then undermines the apology in the same breath. Its stacked complaints are the template for the gloomy sidekick, and the 'brain the size of a planet' routine became his signature. Adams drew on Eeyore and on his own low moods, and fans still quote Marvin when everything is going wrong, especially the line about not talking to him about life.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyShow the scene
In Chapter 11 of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979), the Heart of Gold has just reappeared after its improbability drive jump. Marvin, the ship's depressed robot, is ordered to take Arthur Dent and the others down to the bridge. He drags along the corridor grumbling that someone with a brain the size of a planet is being asked to run an errand. He then adds this stream of complaints about pardoning himself for breathing, which he doesn't, and about the ship's doors, which have a cheerful and sunny disposition and take satisfaction in closing, all programmed in by his makers.
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy1979 novel, Chapter 11Reference checked
- Hitchhiker's Wiki: Marvincharacter summaryReference checked
- Wikipedia: Marvin the Paranoid Androidcharacter and portrayal sectionsReference checked
Context reviewed
