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Figurative Language In There Will Come Soft Rain

Decent Essays

In the short stories Fever Dream and There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury, a theme of evil and violence builds as the stories progresses. Through his use of figurative language and diction, Bradbury develops the plot to ultimately lead to physical and mental destruction. In the short story, Fever Dream, Bradbury creates an image of a sterile environment through words such as “fresh, clean, laundered” and “newly squeezed”, Bradbury also describes the ability to hear subtle sounds such as “the toilet gargling”, “rain tap the roof” and “sly mice run”. These images portray a healthy, pure atmosphere that reflects the boy and presents that his “sickness wasn’t too bad” and foreshadows a sickness that will come. Bradbury presents the young …show more content…

Bradbury states “the clocked ticked on, repeating and repeating” in order to symbolize the repeating days and creates a feeling of slow, dragging on anxiety. In the story, Bradbury presents the date as “August 4, 2026” the story is set in the future in order to show the eventual outcome of the advances the future holds for society. As the story progresses, the narrator states “But no doors slammed, no carpets took the soft tread of rubber heels.” Bradbury includes this sentence to inform the reader that the house is vacant, and creates an eerie sense of abandonment. Bradbury presents the setting of the house “alone in a city of rubble and ashes.” This is done to create an image of destruction surrounding the house and isolation; the image foreshadows the eventual outcome of the house, which is the only one standing. In the story, Bradbury describes the west side of the house as “charred” and describes the markings on the house as an image of “a girl, hands raised to catch a ball which never came down.” By stating this, Bradbury informs the reader that the destruction that occurred, happened in an instant and to strike emotion when picturing an innocent girl being killed. The image also creates a sense of fear and suspense as to when the house will out of nowhere, be demolished. The house is personified, “quivered at each sound,” Bradbury’s use of personification is done to depict fear being so prominent within the house, and show that the technological advances will not be enough to protect the house. A “dog, once huge and fleshy, but now gone to bone and covered with sores,” enters the house, leading to the assumption that its owner lived in the house. The dog’s psychical state is portrayed to present the lack of life and activity in the city, representing a

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