Short Story “The lions on three sides of them, in the yellow veldt grass, padding through the dry straw, rumbling and roaring in their throats. The lions… Where are your father and mother? ” Ray Bradbury is acknowledged for his outstanding futuristic science fiction literature, especially the stories “Marionettes, Inc. ” and “The Veldt”. He does a brilliant job of incorporating elements of drama into his text even with the science fiction topics.
As a result of his excellent writing capability both “Marionettes, Inc. and “The Veldt” are outstanding works of his. In similar ways the stories integrate the prominence of robotics in their respective societies and display their roles very precisely. “Marionettes, Inc. ” has robots replacing human beings and acting exactly like them, which develops a dilemma for Smith and Braling, while “The Veldt” has a smart house, which completes everyday tasks for the family members of the house for them. Overall, both stories develop a similar theme through distinctive components.
Therefore, both “Marionettes, Inc. and “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury introduce the theme of robotic resistance through superb figurative language, conflict between the specific characters, and development of characterization through the actions of the main characters. To begin with, Ray Bradbury uses eloquent figurative language to portray the theme of robotic resistance in both “Marionettes, Inc. ” and “The Veldt”. In “Marionettes, Inc. ” Braling introduces to Smith the concept of marionettes where one can clone themselves and use their clone for everyday tasks, which they do not feel like partaking in.
Little does Smith know this innovative type of technology will backfire for him. As Smith searches for money to purchase himself a marionette he notices his wife Nettie completely stiff as if she was not there. On page four Bradbury states, “His knees suddenly turned to water. He collapsed. Nettie! Nettie! He cried… Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick. ” In this instance, Smith realizes that Nettie the wife, who he thought loved him so dearly, was actually a marionette herself the whole time.
The way Bradbury depicts the disappointment of Smith when he realized what happened is so vivid and it really paints a picture of how forsaken he felt. In a similar way, “The Veldt” introduces George and Lydia, the parents of Peter and Wendy, who absolutely spoiled their children to a huge extent. Especially with the nursery, a room, which converts the ideas the children have into a reality. However, the nursery negatively affects George when on page three Bradbury proclaims, “And it was clearly indicated that the children had been spending a little too much time on Africa. That sun. He could feel it on his neck, still, like a hot paw.
Cleverly, Bradbury lets the reader infer that the children’s minds have become corrupt and therefore it will not get any better. Additionally, in “The Veldt” Bradbury essentially fakes the innocence of Wendy and Peter as they return home from the carnival on page five when he mentions, “Wendy and Peter were coming in the front door, cheeks like peppermint candy, eyes like bright blue agate marbles, a smell ozone on their jumpers from their trip in the helicopter. ” Through his rich use of figurative language Bradbury successfully develops Wendy and Peter having false innocence in this particular sentence.
Overall, Bradbury does a successful job of brining rise to the theme of robotic resistance by using remarkable figurative language in portions of both “Marionettes, Inc. ” and “The Veldt”. Secondly, Ray Bradbury enhances the theme of robotic resistance through conflict between specific characters. The main conflict in “Marionettes, Inc. ” is that Braling and Smith do not urge to spend time with their wives and as a result, they use robots to take their place. While Braling and Smith are conversing on page one, Smith mentions, “Honestly, Braling, I hate to say this, but you have to be patient with her.
You may not admit it to me, but marriage has been awful for you, hasn’t it? ” By saying this one can understand that Braling is not having the greatest time in his relationship, and therefore buys a marionette to take his place. On the same page, Braling questions, “Poor Smith, your marriage hasn’t exactly been roses, has it? ” This provides the reader with insight that both Braling and Smith are in the same boat. Later on, they are faced with the dilemma of robotic resistance when Smith’s wife Nettie has actually purchased a marionette herself, and Braling 2, Braling’s marionette has turned on him.
On page 5 Braling 2 says, “I’m going to put you in the box, lock it, and lose the key. Then I’ll buy another Rio ticket for your wife. ” After their confrontation, Braling 2 succeeds and locks away Braling for good. Similarly, in “The Veldt” Bradbury establishes a firm conflict between the parents, George and Lydia and their children Wendy and Peter. Trapped in the fantasy of the nursery Wendy and Peter cannot face the fact that George will be confiscating the nursery from the house. Therefore, they seek revenge on him and Lydia for even thinking about such an act.
On page ten, Bradbury builds suspense when he clearly describes the fate of George and Lydia, ‘The lions on three sides of them, in the yellow veldt grass, padding through the dry straw, rumbling and roaring in their throats. The lions. ” Overall, Bradbury shows how the children’s view of Africa has corrupted their minds all the way to making them kill their own parents. The robotic resistance is clearly implied as the nursery, part of the robotic house, resists being removed and ends up slaughtering both George and Lydia.
Therefore, Bradbury’s futuristic mind so brilliantly develops conflict between the specific characters in both “Marionettes, Inc. ” and “The Veldt”. Finally, Bradbury does an excellent job developing characterization among the main characters. In “Marionettes, Inc. ” Bradbury characterizes the two main characters, Braling and Smith, through their actions. Both, having problems with their wives, insist on purchasing marionettes so that they can spend time by themselves. This is specifically demonstrated on page 3 when Braling proclaims, “This marionette is me to the hairiest detail.
I’ve been home all evening. I shall be home with her for the next month. In the meantime another gentleman will be in Rio after ten years of waiting. ” This statement specifies that Braling does not have much desire to embrace his wife with love. Therefore, Braling is characterized as a man who has no time for matters involving his wife. The way Braling is characterized assists the reader in understanding the text, by presenting that Braling is probably not the only who thinks this way, especially with the marionettes business around.
Likewise, in “The Veldt” Bradbury characterizes the George and his children, through their actions. As George starts to realize the mental state of his children and how it is becoming corrupted he does what he believes is best for them in turning off the nursery. George showed his courage in taking away the children’s most prized possession on page nine where Bradbury declared, “They went to the fuse box together and threw the switch that killed the nursery.
The two children were in hysterics. McLean, a friend of George had mentioned before on page 8, “This room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than their real parents. ” Altogether, George is simply characterized as a father looking out for his children, by the way he acts in turning off the nursery for good. Bradbury marvelously depicts the thoughts of parents, which provides a better understanding of the events in the story. Alternatively, the children are deeply characterized in the story in a more malevolent way.
Surprisingly, on page nine Peter exclaims, “I wish you were dead! ” This is unbelievably rude coming out of the mouth of George’s son, which proves how crooked his mind has become. Previously, Wendy and Peter had been acting very formal, but now they show their true emotions, very harsh ones to be clearer. Furthermore, Wendy reveals her wicked innocence, when on page ten she states, “A cup of tea? ” In this part of the story, Wendy and Peter had already successfully murdered their parents, and are falsely waiting for their parents with Mr. McLean.
Provided that she seems so wonderful, it really makes her that much more dreadful that it is hard to stand. Overall, Bradbury characterizes both Wendy and Peter as cute little children with a devious background. This influences the story dramatically, because the reader can infer that both Wendy and Peter will eventually wreck havoc on their parents and will not do it in a justified way. As it relates to robotic resistance, both stories include the theme through the characterization of the different characters presented in the stories.
All things considered, Bradbury does an excellent job developing each character and including their personalities and actions throughout the stories. In conclusion, Bradbury effectively presents the three literary devices of figurative language, conflict, and characterization through his two stories, “Marionettes, Inc. ” and “The Veldt”. Bradbury gives a deep meaning to both texts through the theme of robotic resistance, which really helps the reader grasp onto different concepts in the story. Overall, his stories incorporate different elements of astounding writing which make them what they are.
