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The Paradox Of Change In Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine

Decent Essays

The Paradox of Change
Change is a force which is ever-present in the universe, and an individual is never free from its effects; change will continuously mold the individual by challenging its perception of its surroundings and itself. In many ways, change causes development and maturity, yet it also causes decline and decay. Change is constant. However, the paradox of change is often difficult to accept, and people will fight with its reality throughout their lifetimes: friends will come and go, epiphanies and advances will arrive, and things will never quite be like they used to be. The struggle between change and the individual is a recurring part of Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine. This relationship shows not only through the main character, Doug Spaulding, but also through those around him. Doug and the rest of Green Town show how people contend with changes in that which they know, those whom they know, and even themselves.
Many of Doug's favorite parts of Green Town become altered in some way during the summer of 1928. "'No more trolley. Bus starts to run tomorrow. Going to retire me with a pension, they are"' (Bradbury 98). After Mr. Tridden tells them that the trolley is shutting down, Doug protests by pointing out that a bus doesn't have the charm of the trolley. Later on, a woman thwarts an attempted murder by the town's serial killer, "The Lonely One". As Doug, Tom, and Charlie reflect upon seeing the paramedics take Lonely One in on a stretcher, they lament the fact that there will be no more killings to create excitement around town. Charlie rants to Tom, "'This town used to have some good stuff in it up until about twelve o'clock last night. From here on, we're vanilla junket'" (Bradbury 178). They even try to convince themselves that the man on the stretcher wasn't the Lonely One. Regardless of how unpleasant or cumbersome certain aspects of the town were, the kids still disliked their altercation, and they struggled with everything beginning and ending around them.
The people of Green Town repeatedly grappled with very personal changes to those whom they were familiar with. This contention is very prevalent within Doug when he hears that his friend, John Huff, is moving away. To delay the

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