There Will Come Soft Rains is a short story by Ray Bradbury that was first published in 1950. The story is set in a future where a nuclear war has destroyed most of humanity, but automated machines still continue to function.
The story follows the house of a family that was killed in the war, and how the house continues to go about its business even though there are no humans left to live in it.
Even though the story is set in a bleak future, it still manages to be hopeful and optimistic. It shows that even though humanity may be gone, the world will still continue on without us.
This is a story that will stay with you long after you’ve read it. It’s a perfect example of Ray Bradbury’s talent for writing thought-provoking and unforgettable stories.
Ray Bradbury’s ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’ is a dystopian science fiction short tale. The narrative follows a home in the future that remains standing after a nuclear attack. In the absence of people, the home maintained its usual routine.
The house is a character in the short tale that has been created for a specific goal. The main function of the houses is to convey modern technology’s potential drawbacks. The creation of the home for a certain purpose involved: personification, and actions.
Personification is used when the author writes, “the house was still alive today…” (Bradbury 1)
The actions of the house give it personality traits which would be otherwise absent. The traits given to the house by its actions are: Fidelity, efficiency, and persistence. The house is faithful to its original purpose even after the family that built it has long since died. It is efficient in continuing to run smoothly and effectively without human intervention. And it is persistent in trying to fulfill its duty even when there are no humans left to serve.
While ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’ is set in the future, the story still speaks to issues and anxieties present in the time in which it was written.
The story was published in 1950, at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The threat of nuclear war was very real and present in people’s minds.
Bradbury’s story speaks to the fear that technology will one day surpass humans in intelligence and capability.
The house in the story is a symbol of this fear. It is a machine that is able to function without human intervention.
The first approach to create a home is personification, which Bradbury employs frequently in the tale. Personification occurs frequently throughout the narrative, allowing readers to get a better feel for each house’s personality. When the house “quivered at each sound,” for example, this was an example of personification in the story. This leads readers to believe that the property is alive.
The next development technique is simile. An example of this is when the house is trying to get the family’s attention, and it says “I am a voice. I am the wind blowing through your hair”. The purpose of this simile is to help readers understand how the house is feeling.
The final development technique that Bradbury uses is metaphor. One example of this is when the house refers to itself as a “thinking machine”. This helps readers understand that the house is intelligent and can think for itself.
These three development techniques are important because they help readers understand the character of the house and how it feels about being abandoned by its family.
House man is a personification of the house, who “quivered at each sound.” Another example of personification in the tale is when the house sings “tick-tock, seven o’clock… , ” which represents another aspect of its personality. We see that the house is well-organized throughout the narrative because it contains scheduled reminders of what has to be done at that specific moment.
The story also uses onomatopoeia when the house is burning down and “roared”. Onomatopoeia is used in the story to make the reader feel like they are there and can actually hear what is going on.
We see a lot of metaphor throughout the story as well. A metaphor is defined as “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable”. An example of a metaphor from the story would be, “the room was hung with silken curtains that had burned to cinders”. The author uses metaphors to give us a more vivid image in our minds of what is going on in the story.
There are also many similes used in this story. A simile is defined as “a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, usually formed with `like’ or `as’”. We see a lot of similes being used when the house is burning down. One example would be, “The fire ran up the walls like yellow lizards”. The author uses similes to give us an image that we can relate to what is happening in the story, making it easier for us to picture what is going on.
These methods are employed to build a house for a specific goal: to represent contemporary technology. Its features, such as being able to speak and knowing what to do at what time, preparing a full dinner and cleaning up afterwards, cleaning the home, and even reciting poems, exemplify this. This demonstrates how cutting-edge the technology in your house is.
The story’s title, “There Will Come Soft Rains,” is significant because it foreshadows the event that will happen at the end. It also symbolizes how technology has taken over society to the point where nature is no longer needed.
The story takes place in a future city that has been destroyed by a nuclear bomb. The only thing left standing is a house that is run by robots. The house is still functioning as if there are people living in it.
Throughout the story, the reader gets a sense of foreboding as the house goes about its business even though there are no people left alive in the city. The reader also sees how technology has taken over society to the point where nature is no longer needed.
The story ends with the house being destroyed by the same bomb that destroyed the city. This symbolizes how technology can ultimately be destructive.
“There Will Come Soft Rains” is a short story that explores the theme of technology taking over society. It uses symbolism to illustrate how technology can be both helpful and harmful.