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Ray Bradbury is an accomplished American novelist, short-story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, and poet. His writing style is like none other. Some say he is a science fiction writer; however, others argue that he merely uses the far-out setting to criticize racism, censorship, technology, nuclear war, and humanistic values (Johnston). All of his work closely relates to his life and the personal experiences he has gone through. First, his early life in Illinois and Arizona influenced his first writings. This was a time when he first started experimenting with writing.
Second, Bradbury s writing style relates to his past experiences, because he said that he learned to write recalling past experiences (Umland 6). During this period of time, Bradbury begins to discover himself as a writer. He develops his own style and process for writing. Lastly, his major works represent the feelings of Americans during the era in which he wrote. The Martian Chronicles, his first well known novel, and still one of his best known novels, is a great example of this because it relates to the readers emotions about atomic warfare during the World War II era. Ray Bradbury s early life in Illinois and Arizona influenced his first writing.
There are many examples that show how he transforms his life into a fictitious story. For example, the short story The Jar, written in 1944, is based on Bradbury seeing a pickled embryo for the first time at a sideshow. Although we question ourselves as to how this could be turned into a story, Bradbury can see potential in the most insignificant and strange instances. Two other examples are Homecoming, written in 1946, which is based on Halloween parties thrown by one of his relatives, and Uncle Einar, written in 1947, which is grounded somewhat on one of his uncles (Umland 6). As you can see, many of Bradbury s early stories were based loosely on a segment in his life at an early age.
All of these stories express a certain instance in Bradbury s life. He states that writing shouldn t be a long, grueling struggle, which is described by many other authors; however, it should be an adventurous journey (Bradbury 50). Bradbury isn t stressed when he writes his stories; instead, he lets his stories develop naturally. my stories have led me through my life.
They shout, I follow. They run up and bite me on the leg I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go, and runs off. (Bradbury 50) This is a very interesting analogy. It describes the exact writing process that Bradbury uses. He absorbs information about his past, and a story evolves from there. It is as simple as that.
Bradbury found his creative side through the same process in which he writes his stories. In the last year of his high school he stumbled into his own creativity when he was writing about the ravine in his hometown, and the fear of it at night (Bradbury 14). He felt the only thing to do now was to continue writing constantly to develop his own style. Bradbury was very active in his writings when he was younger so he continued to write at least a thousand words a day everyday from the age twelve on (Bradbury 15). The writing style of Ray Bradbury relates to his past experiences because he said that he learned to write by recalling his life. Some of his novels such as Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes are great examples of this because both are set in fictitious Green Town, which is relatively Bradbury s hometown in Illinois.
This new style of Bradbury could be classified as autobiographical fantasy, because he transforms his youth into fictitious stories filled with boyhood experiences (Mogen 112). In both of the books a ravine is described which in reality is located on Yeoman Creek. In addition, the library, which is a vital setting in Something Wicked This Way Comes, was also actually located on Sheridan Road in his home town (Umland 6). Both of these places were a part of his life when he was growing up. The ravine he described was a scary place to the young Bradbury Another example of Bradbury s use of his childhood experiences embedded in his novels is his experience on a carousel for the first time when he was about three or four years old.
He stated it terrified me. The horse was leaping up and down, and circling, and there was no way to get off, of course, once this thing got started. Well, that s got to be locked into Something Wicked, doesn t it? The carousel as a symbol of early terror. (Mogen 125) Hence these examples show how Bradbury incorporated frightening childhood experiences into startling, fear-provoking events in his novels. Bradbury started writing Dandelion Wine in a very interesting way. Starting with a blank sheet of paper he searched his mind for words that could actively depict personal nightmares, and fears of night in his childhood (Bradbury 79).
From there, he looked around his house, his yard, and his neighbors yards and wrote down words for these images. What he got were small fragments of memories of the fun times he had as well as some of his worst experiences. Every small object he saw, like an old firecracker, or a picture would invoke a past memory. With these words and memories, a story emerged that actively described his past, which he would then elaborate on. In fact, the title of Bradbury s book was used to describe a gathering of dandelions from all of those years. (Bradbury 79). Thus, the novel is a fictitious story of his life combined with outrageous tales from his mind and memory.
Lastly, his major works represent the feelings of Americans during the time period in which he wrote. The Martian Chronicles, written in 1950, is about the attempted colonization of Mars by humans. The human civilization is constantly hindered by a gentle Martian race. Eventually it led to nuclear war. This story plot represents how Americans felt after World War II in the late 1940 s. As much a work of social criticism as of science fiction, The Martian Chronicles reflects some of the prevailing anxieties of America in the early atomic age of the 1950 s: the fear of nuclear war, the longing for a simpler life, reactions against racism and censorship, and fear of foreign political powers. (Johnston).
Bradbury s style appeals to the reader in many ways because he writes what the reader can relate to. The novel appealed to the reader because it contains situations that the reader has experienced. It brought out old desires and fears of the past. The conflicts, which arise in the novel, represent the conflicts, which our country was also dealing with, such as the conflict between the east and the west, and the Old World and the New which in the novel is Earth and Space (Mogen 82). Another example of Bradbury s work reflecting how America felt as a whole during the era, in which he wrote, would be Farenheit 451.
This novel is staged in the future when a totalitarian state governs the people and forbids the reading of books. This appealed to many readers because Bradbury wrote the novel in response to the cold war atmosphere after World War II (Mogen 105). Therefore, at the time, many readers could relate to a totalitarian state because they most likely lived through part of World War II. Despite many beliefs, Bradbury didn t write this novel to criticize society and the ability of a Government to control all aspects of life, but rather directed the novel s sarcasm at anti-intellectualism and cramped materialism posing as social philosophy (Mogen 105).
Fahrenheit 451 also relates to the American public because Bradbury uses this satirical novel to warn the common man of small-mindedness and conformity. The Protagonist of the story, Guy Montag, represents nonconformity and the fight against censorship. Bradbury wants the American people to understand what makes the American Dream great, and that we cannot let it go or misunderstand it because that would be like throwing our standards away (Mogen 105). In conclusion, there are many factors that influenced Bradbury s writing. His style was developed early on by the way he viewed his world, specifically by writing about his memories and experiences. He relied on actual places and events from his past as a tool for settings and plots.
In addition, his childhood experiences, most importantly those that frightened him, played a major role in his use of fear and horror in his novels. Finally, Bradbury used his writing to comment on events and values prevalent in the world. His stories, which may be categorized as science fiction, were also commentaries on the world around him. Bradbury s unique writing style is a combination of science fiction based on his realities and his interpretations of the world around him. Works Cited Bradbury, Ray. The Stories of Ray Bradbury.
New York: Random House Publishers, 1980. Bradbury, Ray. Zen in the Art of Writing. Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1989. Johnston, Richard. The Ray Bradbury Page. 2 Nov. 1998.
web (February 13, 2000). Mogen, David. Ray Bradbury. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1986. Sci-Fi For Your D: Drive.
Newsweek 13 Nov. 1995: 89 Umland, Samuel J. Cliffs Notes on Bradbury s Fahrenheit 451. Lincoln, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes Inc, 1995.
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Research essay sample on World War Ii Martian Chronicles
