The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
"The Illustrated Man" is a collection of interconnected science fiction stories by Ray Bradbury, first published in the 1950s. The narrative centers around a narrator who encounters a tattooed man whose tattoos animate at night, each revealing a different tale that explores themes such as technology, identity, and the human condition. The stories delve into the dangers and consequences of technological advancements, exemplified in tales like "The Veldt," where children's obsession with a virtual reality nursery leads to tragic results, and "Marionette, Inc.," which illustrates the perils of replacing human interaction with machines.
Bradbury also addresses the allure of space travel and its impact on personal relationships in stories like "The Rocket Man" and "The Long Rain." Additionally, the collection tackles complex social themes, including race and morality, as seen in "The Other Foot" and "The Exiles." The concluding story ties back to the framing device, leaving readers with a sense of foreboding as the narrator learns a chilling fate awaits him. Overall, "The Illustrated Man" invites reflection on the intersection of humanity and technology, while presenting a rich tapestry of narratives that resonate across various societal issues.
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The Illustrated Man
First published: 1951
Type of work: Stories
Type of plot: Science fiction—cautionary
Time of work: The 1950s, with flashforwards and flashbacks
Locale: Various
The Plot
This book was published following serial publication of its component stories in a variety of sources. The thread connecting the stories is the narrators tale of meeting a tattooed man while on a walking tour of Wisconsin in the 1950s. The tattoos move and change at night, each telling a different story predicting the future. The narrator befriends the illustrated man and watches the tattoos become the eighteen tales collected in this volume.
Ray Bradbury questions the need for technology in many of the stories. George Hadley buys a Happylife Home (the ultimate virtual reality house) for his family in “The Veldt.” His children, named after Peter Pan characters, seek their own never-never land in a nursery where thoughts materialize. When George threatens to turn off the house, the children revolt by turning the nursery into an African veldt where lions attack and eat their trapped parents.
Another story of technology gone awry is “Marionette, Inc.” A man buys a robot to replace himself in daily life so he can take a vacation, but the robot replaces the man by killing him and running off with his wife. In “The Rocket,” another story of the wish-fulfillment powers of technology, a man spends his life savings to simulate a rocket trip for his family because he cannot afford a real rocket trip.
Space travel is a common theme in science fiction. “The Rocket Man” depicts a husband and father unable to trade the lure of space for a home life. He stays with his family for only three days at a time before he feels compelled to voyage to the stars. In “Kaleidoscope,” men hurtle into space when their rocket blows up. Hollis realizes that his life has been full of dreams rather than memories. As he hits Earth’s atmosphere, he burns like a meteor, and a young boy in Illinois wishes upon him as if he were a falling star. In “No Particular Night or Morning,” a space traveler realizes that he cannot connect to his own identity and commits suicide. In “The Long Rain,” a spaceship crash leaves men stranded on Venus, where they walk through incessant rain in search of a sun dome for shelter, only to find that one after another is inoperable. The showers turn into a Chinese water torture, driving them mad. Only one man succeeds in making his way to safety.
Bradbury explores the potential for good in human life on other planets in “The Other Foot.” Hattie Johnson, a black woman, lives on Mars. Hatties husband organizes the colony to greet the first white man on Mars. When the white man arrives, he announces that Earth has been destroyed, and with it, racism. The colony has the opportunity for a new start with everyone on the same level. The “Fire Balloons” is the story of missionaries who find that they have landed where there is no sin.
Bradbury also explores the evil side of humanity. In “The Exiles,” all the great authors are kept alive by the spirit of their books, but intolerant book burners extinguish the writers from existence. Invading Martians in “The Concrete Mixer” are overwhelmed by commercialized and materialistic Earthmen. “The Visitor” is a man who offers hope to a planet of people dying of a debilitating disease. Instead of treating the visitor kindly, the people kill the only person who can help them. A couple escape from a future of repression only to be recaptured and sent back by people they thought were friends in “The Fox and the Forest.” The children in “Zero Hour” are the only people who can see the invaders who brainwash them into killing parents who do not pay attention to them. In “The Man,” a crew of spacemen land on a planet that has been visited recently by God. The captain initially believes the visitor to be his rival rather than the messiah, and his pride gets in the way of him meeting with God.
The end of the world is another theme. In “The Highway,” Hernando stands in his field and watches cars pass on the highway, their passengers fleeing atomic war. One driver informs him that the world is going to end, and he wonders what “the world” could mean, so separate is his life from the rest of civilization. “The Last Night of the World” is the tale of a dream shared by everyone the night before the end of the world and the calmness with which they all meet their last moments. The framing story ends when the narrator sees a clear picture of the illustrated man waking and strangling him. He runs off to the next town before this prophecy can come true.
Bibliography
Bloom, Harold, ed. Ray Bradbury. New York: Chelsea House, 2001.
Bloom, Harold, ed. Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451.” New York: Chelsea House, 2001.
Eller, Jonathan R., and William F. Touponce. Ray Bradbury: The Life of Fiction. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2004.
Reid, Robin Ann. Ray Bradbury: A Critical Companion. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2000.
Touponce, William F. Naming the Unnameable: Ray Bradbury and the Fantastic After Freud. Mercer Island, Wash.: Starmont House, 1997.
Weist, Jerry, and Donn Albright. Bradbury, an Illustrated Life: A Journey to Far Metaphor. New York: William Morrow, 2002.
Weller, Sam. The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury. New York: William Morrow, 2005.