Something Wicked This Way Comes - Research Paper Example

A Review of Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury, is a journey into the dark side of life. When a carnival comes to town, two boys (William "Will" Halloway and James "Jim" Nightshade) find out that it is not the fun and games that come in most carnivals, but a journey that will take them into the darkest evil. The book opens by letting the reader know that the events take place in October. This is significant to the carnival because the reader will later understand that this is not an ordinary carnival -- the people in it are not regular people but "The Autumn People." For William Halloway and James Nightshade, the Autumn People would prove to be a part to how "they grew up overnight, and were never so young any more" (Bradbury 4). 1.0 Foreshadowing There are many places where Bradbury uses foreshadowing to let the reader know that something is coming that is not good. He does this throughout the novel at different places. As an example, Jim's last name of "Nightshade" was an intentional look at a plant that is deadly if eaten. This foreshadows that there is something more about Jim that the reader does not know initially. Another foreshadowing that is associated with Jim is the fact that the lightening rod salesman wants Jim's house to be protected. Jim was also born in the early morning hours of October 31 Bradbury 9). Later, the reader finds out that the carnival comes to town in the early morning hours, just before Jim's birthday. The lightening rod salesman also wants the boys about a storm and it is only Jim's house that needs protection. They think of a literal storm, but the "storm" again refers to the carnival that is coming to town. The lightening rod salesman (the reader is never given a name for him) warns that the storm is almost in town "… here it comes, fell it, way off now, but running fast…" (Bradbury 12). The thought of something happening sparks a fire in Jim and he is ready to move toward it. This warning seems to bind Jim with the carnival before it appears. Another central character to the story is Charles Halloway, Will's father. Charles begins to put the pieces together about the carnival people, although the reader will know this for awhile. Later in the novel, Charles is in the position to not only save himself, but also to save the boys. Charles works as the librarian for the town which is a fitting program and one that allows him access to knowledge. The reader is shown that the boys are "typical" boys in that they are carefree, showing a zest for life and running all over town. This brings in the theme of life that is so apparent in the story; life versus death is a common theme that runs throughout the story. Mindy Matter suggests that the youthful exuberance is one of the major these that are important. The boys running is to show how youthful they really are and it will take youth to deal with the carnival. 1.1 Themes and Symbols Bradbury uses the first four chapters to build the suspense and introduce characters later. He also introduces many themes that have already been discussed. In chapter five, he finally introduces the name "Cooger and Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show" (Bradbury 28). Bradbury left several interesting clues in the name of the carnival. The word "Cooger" could also stand for the animal (cougar) meaning that it is cool, calculating and strikes when it is sure that it has its prey. "Dark" is the inference to the carnival because it is basically very dark. "Pandemonium" suggests that there are a lot of things going on; some are confusing, and all will be in a flurry of activity. "Shadow Show" suggests that the autumn people are always going to come out during the dark, and that they move between the shadows. This them infers that between the shadows, one will never see them coming, unless they want to be seen. Just the name of the carnival brings information to the reader and sends a chill. The carnival comes to town at three a.m. which Justin Erickson says is "the hour at which the human body is closest to death" (1). In the book, Bradbury writes that "Doctors say the body's at low tide then. The soul is out." (Bradbury 62). This sends the idea that the carnival people are waiting for the souls to come out and play. It is interesting that many stories take place in very small towns were the people are susceptible to anything new that comes to town. They are often motivated by the allure of something new, which allows the newcomers to take advantage of the townspeople. In this case, the carnival uses greed and fear to first lure the townspeople into the carnival by appealing to their greed or fear, and then separates them from the rest of the townspeople, making them feel unloved and unwanted by anyone else, and then enslaves their souls. To take a person's soul is to take their life force. Russell Kirk suggests "that flaming spark the souls is the real space-traveller of Bradbury's stories. "I'm alive! … Live is its own end--if one has a soul to tell him so" (68). Small towns also have a freshness and a naïveté that shows up when something changes in a person's life when they are open and accepting to whatever happens. As an example, the boys and other characters in town are pulled into the carnival because it is something different. The reader also finds out that the carnival comes out of context and during the wrong part of the day. These facts should have been a clue to the people in the story that something was terribly wrong. For the reader, these facts add to the suspense in the story and create a sense of dread. Another theme in the story is life. The story is based on life and it is life that will make things happen. It begins with young boys climbing and running all over, and then climbs to an understanding that life has many lessons that everyone is confronted with continuously. This theme is directly opposite the theme of evil which will always be overcome by good. Jane Bowles states that "the theme running through … is that Evil is a shadow; Good is a reality. Evil cannot exist except in the vacuum left when people let their Good become not an active form, not a pumping in their veins, but just a memory, an intention" (85). Jim and Will are thrown into the evil and the darkness within the carnival and they are made privy to what Mr. Dark and Mr. Cooger are actually doing with the carnival. This makes them a threat to Mr. Dark. The face of the carnival is something fun, but the reality is that it exists to pull families a part, make people want what they cannot have and manipulate them to be part of the carnival. The carnival always brought people their deepest, darkest desires in order to pull them in. As an example, the first attraction that reaches out to someone in the town is the block of ice that the lightening rod salesman sees in the window. There is something in it that he perceives as "the most beautiful woman in the world" (Bradbury 46) and he totally accepts this hallucination. Later, Charles Halloway find a melted block of ice with "long strands of hair" (Bradbury 60) indicating that something was there. The symbol of ice, suggests the coldness of the carnival and how it does not care what happens to the people. The ice melts because it no longer needs to hold the enchantment and it suggests the warmer aspects of life. The fat that there is hair left and no color is mentioned provides the reader with an understanding that something was present. There are other people in town who fall victim to the carnival. Mrs. Foley, a teacher in town, longs to be young again: She boards the carousel thinking she will see improvement in her life and she is transformed into a child, which turns in insane (Erikson 1). Jonathan R. Eller and William F. Touponce give more insight into what the carnival does. They state that there are important factors in the story that move towards the climax. Charles Halloway becomes the main figure because it is he who will be the one to save the boys and the town. He is confronted by a mermaid that is half-human and half-fish that represents the "Grotesque realism of the carnival" (17). This indicates that Halloway's entrance is so that everyone can see the global view of he carnival. The authors make the point that Mrs. Foley's descent into madness is actually the way that was used to sever her ties to her community both humanly and emotionally. As may be expected, the mood inside the book is eerie and sinister. There is a creepiness throughout it and while reading it is not an odd thing to look over one's shoulder. In Chapter 15, Bradbury brightens the novel and makes a transition at the same time in to the next phase of the novel by using bright colors and metaphase. As an example, "The sun rose yellow as a lemon," , "the sky was round and blue," and "The air was sweet as syrup," and "they frisked the leaves to a fine red dust" (Bradbury 64) gives the reader an understanding that they are going to be refreshed. This takes away from the intensity of the novel and it creates a space for the reader to take a breath. Later, the carnival tents are "lemon like the sun" (Bradbury 65) which almost makes the carnival look bright and cheery. This is what the carnival looks like by day and as Will stated, "it's just a plain old carnival" (Bradbury 65). Bradbury seems to show the illusion and the false reality of the carnival at the same time. In Chapter 17, the carnival changes again because it is moving towards dusk again. The canvases were now "dusk colored" (Bradbury 74) and shadows are present all around them. The shadows let the reader know that there will be more foreshadowing around the carnival. Soon, it will be Jim's time to find himself within the carnival. Jim is drawn to the carnival by virtue of his last name. In the beginning, the reader knew that something more would happen. Erikson states that Jim wanted so badly to become an adult, that he is drawn by the fact that it is dangerous and he will not let anyone tell him what to do. Jim wants freedom and he equates adulthood with ultimate freedom (Erickson 2). Jim wants to go forward on the carousel because he knows it will put him into adulthood; Will wants to stop him. When they arriver, Will is instrumental in creating an accident with Mr. Cooger, one of the owners of the carnival, in which he transforms Cooger into a very old man (Erickson 2). Eller and Touponce suggest that there is a masking happening that the readers are going to want to unmask. One of them happens after the accident with Mr. Cooger and its unveiling happens when the carnival goes into town to search for the boys. Mr. Halloway is special to the story because he distracts the carnival by using a cigar trick. Because it is done in such a joyous, it makes Mr. Dark and one of his companions -- the "Dust Witch" -- to recoil; Mr. Dark into anger (Eller and Touponce 17). Shirrell Rhoades states that Ray Bradbury "is a wizard with words" (32). This is very apparent in Southing Wicked… because he meticulously crafts every word to take the reader deeper and deeper into the story. Something Wicked … grew out of a short story that was included in Bradbury's first book, Dark Carnival which was a collection of short stories (Rhoades). Bradbury was first published when he was 19k in 1939 and he has considered himself a writer from that point on (Ben P. Indick 40). Jane Bowles states that Bradbury's work is not well received by everyone. She states that some people who are "purists" to science fiction, feel that he has "no respect for the medium" (84). Although some people have challenges with his work, Bradbury weaves a tale that has "vivid images in his work are not imagined; they are remembered …" (Bowles 85) and they are remembered long after the story or novel is read, often meaning that the reader will have to pick it up once again. Works Cited Bowles, John. "Ray Bradbury (1920-).In Contemporary Literary Criticism. 3. 85. Literature Criticism Online Gale Cengage Learning. Bradbury, Ray. Something Wicked This Way Comes. New York: Alfred A. Knoff, 1962. Ellen, Jonathan R. and Touponce, William F. "Fathering the Carnival: Something Wicked This Way Comes." Contemporary Literary Criticism. 235, 22 Feb. 10. Gale Literary Resources. Gale Document Number: GALE|H1100076535. Indick, Ben P. "Ray Bradbury Still Talking and Still Listening". Publisher's Weekly. 22 Oct. 2001: 40. Academic Search Premier database. AN: 5423508. Matter, Mindy. "Literature Notes: Something Wicked This Way Comes". 2003. 3 Mar. 2010. Pink Monkey Notes. Read More