Elements of Fiction in Bradbury’s “The Last Night of the World”
Ray Bradbury’s “The Last Night of the World” tells the story of a family who finds out it is their last day on earth, and they spend it doing their regular routine. Bradbury is able to achieve this by using an undramatic plot, descriptive imagery and symbol to create a theme in which that impacts the reader. Robert Stevenson defines plot as, “the structure of the action, and how it is manipulated and arranged in order to bring about particular effects or emotions such as surprise or suspense” (Stevenson 1). In “The Last night of the World,” the exposition starts out with the husband asking his wife what she would do if it was the last night of the world. Then the rising action …show more content…
Foley defines imagery as, “the power of imagination, the cultural uses and dangers of likeness, and the baffling confluence of concrete and abstract, literal and figurative, body and mind, matter and spirit” (Foley 1). In his story, Bradbury uses “I won’t miss a thing except my family and perhaps the change in the weather and a glass of cool water when the weather’s hot, or the luxury of sleeping” (Bradbury 1). Bradbury uses the imagery to sense the hot weather, the cool water, and to be able to be able to feel the pain of the husband’s family about to perish. Another example in the story is “In the background, the two small girls were playing blocks on the parlor rug in the light of the green hurricane lamps. There was an easy, clean aroma of brewed coffee in the evening air” (Bradbury 1). This imagery shows how innocent the girls are, and how calm the mood is before the storm. The imagery in the story is “They went through the house and turned out the lights and locked the doors, and went into the bedroom and stood in the night cool darkness undressing” (Bradbury 1). This imagery gives a sense of being able to feel what the character is doing. The reader can relate walking through and house and turning out the lights like the characters did. This is what Foley means by, “the power of imagination.” The element of imagery gives the Bradbury’s work the ability to show the reader how the characters feel and see within the
Ray Bradbury’s “The Last Night of the World” tells the story of a family who finds out it is their last day on earth, and they spend it doing their regular routine. Bradbury is able to achieve this by using an undramatic plot, descriptive imagery and symbol to create a theme in which that impacts the reader. Robert Stevenson defines plot as, “the structure of the action, and how it is manipulated and arranged in order to bring about particular effects or emotions such as surprise or suspense” (Stevenson 1). In “The Last night of the World,” the exposition starts out with the husband asking his wife what she would do if it was the last night of the world. Then the rising action …show more content…
Foley defines imagery as, “the power of imagination, the cultural uses and dangers of likeness, and the baffling confluence of concrete and abstract, literal and figurative, body and mind, matter and spirit” (Foley 1). In his story, Bradbury uses “I won’t miss a thing except my family and perhaps the change in the weather and a glass of cool water when the weather’s hot, or the luxury of sleeping” (Bradbury 1). Bradbury uses the imagery to sense the hot weather, the cool water, and to be able to be able to feel the pain of the husband’s family about to perish. Another example in the story is “In the background, the two small girls were playing blocks on the parlor rug in the light of the green hurricane lamps. There was an easy, clean aroma of brewed coffee in the evening air” (Bradbury 1). This imagery shows how innocent the girls are, and how calm the mood is before the storm. The imagery in the story is “They went through the house and turned out the lights and locked the doors, and went into the bedroom and stood in the night cool darkness undressing” (Bradbury 1). This imagery gives a sense of being able to feel what the character is doing. The reader can relate walking through and house and turning out the lights like the characters did. This is what Foley means by, “the power of imagination.” The element of imagery gives the Bradbury’s work the ability to show the reader how the characters feel and see within the