Chapter 22 Summary

The elderly man doesn't introduce himself, assuring Arthur that his name is not important. He does tell Arthur that when he and his contemporaries understood that the planet-building business was going into a recession, they decided to put themselves to sleep and to program the computers to wake them up when the economy was able to support luxury services again. He then says that Arthur must come with him in his aircar, and it is obviously not a suggestion. There is a hint of an order to the request. Arthur finally insists on knowing his name, so the man reluctantly answers that it is "Slartibartfast." When Arthur repeats the name in disbelief, the man looks at him gravely and adds, "I said it wasn't important."

Chapter 22 Analysis

Douglas Adams answered many questions about his books before his death in 2001, and one of these...