Bradbury :: Biography Biographies

BradburyA common theme in science fiction is outer space. 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 Great Plains were to the pioneers, not just a frontier but a symbol of the future for the valet race (49). If space serves as a symbol 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 cut the rocket up the side with a giant can opener. The men were thrown into space like a dozen wriggling silverfish. They were scattered into a dark sea and the ship, in a million pieces, went on, a meteor swarm seeking a bemused sun (Bradbury The Stories of Ray Bradbury 143). The view expressed in Kaleidoscope is that although people amount from one original being, they grow apart all the time. This divergent evolution is understanda bly 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, sequence 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 adapt to their environment. some different 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 able to play deity and create other men (73). Robots represent the degrading value of life present in society. All of Bradburys robot stories found 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 robots are considered to be futuristic things. Bradbury uses robots to show the value people place on science over human beings. In Marionettes, Inc., two 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.