Bradbury :: Biography Biographies

BradburyA common theme in knowledge fictionalization is outer distance. Many of Bradburys stories take place there. As critic Wayne L. Johnson observes, For Bradbury, space is non merely a stage upon which stories of the future are played, it is what the striking Plains were to the pioneers, not just a frontier but a token of the future for the human race (49). If space serves as a sign of the future for the human race, the story Kaleidoscope has a large amount of symbolism. In this story, the crew of a spaceship is shot into space. The first concussion slue the rocket up the side with a giant can opener. The manpower were thrown into space like a dozen wriggling silverfish. They were mixed-up into a dark sea and the ship, in a million pieces, went on, a meteor swarm seeking a lost sun (Bradbury The Stories of re Bradbury 143). The thought denotative in Kaleidoscope is that although hoi polloi come from one pilot film being, they grow apart all the time. This divergent evolution is clearly expressed as each member of the crew, although separated for a short time, changes their view on the situation. The crewmen being hurled at the sun has a happy attitude, eyepatch the ones being hurled into darkness are engulfed in it. Bradbury might have not intended the reader to find this theme in the story, but it shows how creatures change to their environment. Another element of Bradburys writing is robots. Wayne L. Johnson explains that the robot represents the ultimate heart of the scientific conceit, wherein mens knowledge of the universe becomes so great that he is commensurate to play God and create other men (73). Robots represent the debasing value of life present in society. All of Bradburys robot stories build in The Stories of Ray Bradbury come to unhappy endings. They are horror stories as well as light-hearted warnings against taking robots for granted (74). Many stories with robots are considered science fiction because r obots are considered to be futuristic things. Bradbury uses robots to show the value people place on science over human beings. In Marionettes, Inc., 2 men are unhappy with their wives. One man, Braling tells the other man, Smith, that he has purchased a robot to take his place as a husband.