Arthur Dent is a paradoxical character with strangely contradictory traits. Nonetheless, he has one consistent characteristic displayed throughout. He is full of determination and insistence on his way of life. This is evident when he goes out after having his morning routine interrupted and fights with the people trying to bulldoze his house down. It is this trait that keeps him going through all the strange and bizarre events in the story.

On the other hand, his gullible, credulous, naivete whereby he accepts what Ford Prefect tells him to do with relative ease is a contrast to his stubborn resistance against the bulldozers. His gullibility and naivete are also contradicted by his questioning nature. All through the story, Arthur Dent asks question after question in absurd situation after absurd situation.

Which leads to mention of his absurd trust. He goes where ever any strange person says to go, but a contradictory quality to his absurd trust is his courage. Usually absurdly trusting people don't need to be courageous because they never perceive danger, and usually courageous people are not absurdly trusting because they know danger when they fall into it.

What are three characteristics of Arthur Dent from The Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy?

Arthur Dent is a strange mixture of action and passivity. While content to go along with his Earthly routine in a passive and accommodating manner, he is nonetheless capable of energetic and earnest activity on behalf of his home and way of life. This is proven when he takes on the battle against the bulldozers poised to strike just outside the garden gate of his quite village home in England. Yet when his friend, Ford Prefect, tells him that the dolphins have spoken and that he needs a bath towel and must travel with him, he falls into his characteristic passivity and oddly enough is so awed and befuddled that he allows himself to be carried along. Added to this, is his willingness to accept people at face value, so when he is given an explanation for something, no matter how odd it seems, he always finally goes along.