The Golden Kite The Silver Wind Essay

Two Is Better Than One “But what is a kite on the ground? … It is nothing” (Bradbury 370). In the allegory “The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind” by Ray Bradbury, two cities caught in a dispute over superiority eventually come to the realization that they would be stronger working together. They would rebuild their walls every day, and this rivalry was tearing the two cities apart. Bradbury uses symbolism to show that one without the other is nothing. The conflict of the story is that the two rival cities are competing over dominance. The Mandarin says, “They built their wall in the shape of a pig! Do you see? Our own city wall is built in the shape of an orange. That pig will devour us, greedily!” (Bradbury 366). In the beginning of the story, the Mandarin is upset because he sees the other city trying to prove that …show more content…
The daughter of the Mandarin or the “faint voice” remarks, “This cannot go on. Our people do nothing but rebuild our cities to a different shape every day, every hour. They have no time to hunt, to fish, to love, to be good to their ancestors and their ancestors’ children” (Bradbury 369). This makes both Mandarins realize that the war has gone on long enough and that there are more important things to worry about, such as family, which should always come first. After this event, the Mandarin and his daughter discuss how a kite is nothing without the wind, symbolizing how both cities need each other to achieve balance and become stronger. To conclude, “The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind” proves that one without the other is nothing. The war of the walls teaches the cities the idea of balance. Though it impacted both cities negatively, it helped them realize and understand how much they need each other to achieve balance. In the end, the cities achieve peace and prosperity by joining forces and