Short Story Literary Analysis
Evaluating Ray Bradbury’s Writing
A quality piece of literature is determined by its well-developed content. If it consists of various literary devices and literary elements, the author's work can be considered "good." Using the short story, "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed", by Ray Bradbury as an example, the inclusion of the literary elements characterization, symbolism, and theme, as well as other literary devices: tone and simile contribute to its superiority. The protagonist, Harry, is characterized in the beginning as a average family man who is trying to do what is bests for his family by moving to Mars. He is suspicious of the unknown planet, but from the little knowledge he has, he believes they will be safer in their temporary home rather than on war-stricken Earth. He begins to notice strange changes in the plants and animals he eats. This triggers his immediate panic towards retreating back to Earth. Once the rockets, their only way back home, are destroyed, all hope is lost. Harry and his family are forced to remain on the plagued planet with no escape. They were “stranded on Mars, forever and ever” (481). This changes Harry. He becomes obsessed with building his own rocket in order to return home to Earth. He starts to notice notable changes in his own family which drives him even harder. In the end, his endeavors fail him, for when the rockets are rebuilt and humans travel to Mars to rescue the settlers, there is no one left but Martians. The theme, humans in general shouldn't forget about the past because it can be used to reflect upon events in the present, is Zmek- 2
developed around Harry's changes. Harry and his family ignored the warnings of the ancient ruins and naively settled in the area. Symbolism contributes to the quality of the short story by creating a deeper meaning to various aspects of the plot. The ancient Martian ruins, for example, represent a mistake that is haunting the stranded people on...
Please join StudyMode to read the full document