Ray Bradbury's short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains," set in a quiet Californian suburb during the month of August 2026, ultimately develops into a struggle between nature and technology. As the nearby city of Allendale lies silently in a pile of rubble and ash, a single house stands alone, existing within itself. The world around this lone house is very disturbing, yet serene, and creates a contrasting aura for the reader as he learns of tale's message. As the reader confronts the living house, he is greeted with many futuristic and fantastical ideas that "become tragic symbols for man's dreams and hopes gone awry". He is also exposed to the image of the fate of humans if technology continues to take over our lives. This idea relates to the theme of the story by showing an example of how a benefactor can quickly become an archenemy.
The first short story from the reader participatio...
Ray Bradbury
Photo of Ray Bradbury.What may one day help us, technology for example, may another day destroy us.
The story opens on a serene summer morning. One house is left standing after a huge disaster, probably of some nuclear force, destroyed the rest of the city. The house keeps living in its own world as if nothing ever happened, making breakfast for its family and readying the car for the usual morning commute. Computerized voices heard throughout the house remind the inhabitants of appointments, birthdays, and holidays. The reader thinks this day is not unlike any other and that all is serene until he reads of the disastrous condition covering the remainder of the surrounding world. Still, the house keeps going as if it is the Energizer Bunny. Voices flowing out of the front door query surviving animals, "'who goes there? What's the password?'". The animals that seek the house as refuge from the...