Do you enjoy that exhilarating feeling when trying something new? Imagine having that feeling every day, not knowing what’s coming next, or how you would react to a certain situation. George Cockcroft (pen name Luke Rhinehart) does exactly that in his book ‘The Dice Man’, a fictional autobiography of the character Luke Rhinehart. His book raises philosophical questions about what is ‘normal’, exploring the influence of routine, habit and personal identity in our lives.
Character Luke Rhinehart is a psychiatrist who experiments with dice therapy on himself and eventually his patients. The power of a die roll dictates what decision you will make, or what personality you will assume. His results are controversial with an abundance of sexual activity and personality changes perceived by others as a loss of identity.
As Rhinehart’s character takes on personalities of other people or certain stereotypes, his actions and reactions to situations shift accordingly. His nearest and dearest characterise his actions as schizoid, raising questions about societies perception of ‘normal’. Why does society mandate that we have one identity? Why do people feel uncomfortable when others act ‘unexpectedly’? What if bipolar personalities were considered normal, and alternatively, what if predicable behaviour was considered bizarre? These sporadic changes in personality gave Rhinehart an insight into how his friends and family thought, and provided clarity behind their decisions or reactions.
A statement that stuck with me, “Most things people do aren’t natural the first time they do them. That’s what learning is about. That’s what the dicelife is about.” Despite the dice people’s actions being absurd and often illegal, it highlights the benefits of acting out of the ordinary. It stimulates that exciting feeling when trying something new, along with finding new interests, passions, or joys in a life that would have otherwise been overlooked.
Habit and routine are ingrained in everyone’s lives, from what route we take to work, to how we cut an onion. These characteristics are established as children, learnt by following parents’ actions, and acting in line with rewarded behaviour. Rhinehart suggests a world where children are encouraged to make variations in their behaviour, for example eating different things for breakfast, from cereal one day to chocolate the next. However, this argument is flawed because we all know that structured and nutritional meals lead to positive health outcomes. It highlights the fact that routine and habit create structure in one’s life, and eases making decisions. (For more on habit, check out The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg).
The author Rhinehart does an exceptional job of living within the mind of the characters, sharing their inner thoughts, which gives context to their actions. The book raises several questions about the way behaviour within society has developed, and references to Freud’s research indicates that psychoanalysis still has a long way to go. Whether you are interested in the human psyche, or looking for an exciting thriller, the dicelife is waiting for you.
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Books for Thought 