Critical Appreciation of the Story All Summer in a Day
The story entitled ‘All Summer in A Day’ written by Ray Bradbury, is set on the planet Venus, where the sun shines for only one hour once every seven years. Ray Bradbury wrote this story in March 1954 in a science fiction magazine. In this story, Bradbury reflects how children act today towards one another by discriminating those who are different. In the story, the characters are on Veuns to set up civilization and live out their lives. It is only Margot who had come on Venus five years ago from Earth, rest others had been on Venus all their lives.
The story does not tell us the reason of their immigration from Earth to Venus despite the incessant rain. In the story, the waiter wants to convey that the power of the sun over the children living on Venus is notable. They are pale and colourless. The lack of the sun has washed away their compassion and consideration and empathy for other people. They do not regain this until the sun reappears. The sun is life-giving for the landscape as well as the inhabitants of Venus.
As the story is set on a different planet, it falls into the genre of science fiction. We come to see a constant reference to scientists and their forecasts regarding the sun. In the story, one thing is very interesting and fictional. Venus which has been depicted here, is completely opposite of the real Venus which is very hot and for human beings, it is very impossible to live on the real Venus.
Plot of The Story
Exposition : The exposition of the story is when the story tells us that there are children who live in Venus and it had rained for the majority of their life. It had rained for the past seven years arfd they were two years old the last time the sun came, so they remembered nothing when the sun came out. The other students saw Margot as different. She was very introverted and meek. Unlike the other children, Margot only came from Earth four years ago. She remembered (and missed) the sun. She was devastated by her move to Venus because of the constant rain.
Rising Action: The rising action is when the children were bullying Margot then locked her in a closet. Margot told the children that the scientists predicted that the sun was appearing that day. None believed that she knew about the sun because they did not like her.
Climax : The climax of the story is when the sun finally came out after seven years of rain. Initially, the children had doubted the coming of the sun but indeed it had appeared as the scientists had predicted. It made them fill with joy and happiness. They went outside to play in the wild Venusian jungle, leaving Margot behind.
Falling Action: As Margot was screaming and crying in the closet, knowing that she was missing the only chance at seeing the sun for the next seven years, the children were laughing and playing, absorbing the fleeting moments of sunshine. Then, the children came to a stop as one of the girls showed them a drop of rain in her palm. Rain began to pour down and thunder roared as the children ran inside. They realised that Margot was still inside of the closet. Guilt soon began to devour each of the children as they felt shameful of their action to Margot.
Resolution : As the children filed back into the underground world, relishing the time in the warmth of the sun, one of the students remembered Margot. They all stopped and very slowly opened the door to let out the silent and completely devasted Margot.
Moral of the Story
Jealousy can cause people to bully those who have something they want. The children are jealous that Margot had seen the sun and still remembers it. Then, bullying is wrong and dangerous we don’t know the consequences of the victims. The children bully Margot verbally by accusing her of lying about the sun and physically by shoving her into a closet. Next, something that starts out as a little prank can end up in tragedy. The children wanted to temporarily lock Margot in the closet, but forgot to let her out, so she missed the only appearance of the sun.
Setting of the Story
The story ‘All Summer in a Day’ takes place on the planet Venus, where it always rains then the sun comes out once every seven years for one hour. The main character being from the Earth learned from the scientists the exact time and day the sun would rise. The story is most probably taking place in a far future since humans are able to live on Venus and survive in its conditions. As there is constant raining on Venus, the atmosphere is glum and grey.
Characterization
Margot is the major character of the story. She is the protagonist of the story. She is a delicate and pale child, one who keeps to herself. Having moved to Venus at the age of four, she can remember life without the constant drumming of raindrops, life with golden sunshine. Because the other children have only memories of Venus and its wet atmosphere, they cannot understand Margot and her longing for different life.
Next, Willian is the main bully, the character who might be said to fuel the feelings of the rest of the children and the one who encourages them on. He may be acting with a sense of jealousy and inability to understand Margot. He speaks harshly to her, shoves her, encouraging to treat her in the same cruel manner.
Then, there is the teacher whose role is very brief. Her glimpse in the story is seen only three times. At first she appears when she comes in the class and asks them (the children) to be ready to see the sun. Second time she is seen warning the students to remember the time target and third time she replies the students when they ask her if they would have to wait seven more years for the sun’s appearance. The teacher performs her teacher’s duty such as yelling at William for being cruel to Margot, but only in a limited amount.
She ultimately does not see or understand what is happening between the children. She is not seen strict in her discipline. The children might be seen running despite the seeming presence of a teacher. Even the children do not pay any heed to her warning of the time limit. While playing in the sunshine they forget the time. She is a flat character as we do not know more about her. She is also static as she does not show change.
Then there is a group of children. All they are nine years old. Their child¬like innocence and happiness is well depicted when they rush out as the sun emerges. They laugh, play games, run among the trees and absorb the fleeting moments of the sun shine. They have been described as jealous and cruel because of their indifferent attitude towards Margot. They bully her and challenge her views about the sun. At the end of the story, all the children feel guilty of having locked Margot in the closet.
Appropriateness of the Title
The title of the story ‘All Summer in a Day’ is very suitable as it revolves around a group of school children who live on the planet Venus with their families and who have eagerly been waiting for the last seven years for the sun to appear so that they could get some relief from the continuous rain and enjoy the warmth of the sunshine. On the planet Venus, the summer time is only for one hour in seven years. The scientists have predicted that the sun will appear for a brief time. So the children have gathered near a window and are waiting to stop the rain.
The last time when the sun appeared on their planet seven years ago, they were only two years old, therefore, they did not remember anything about the sun and the sunshine. Their only knowledge of the sun is what they have discussed with their class teacher, a day before the predicted appearance of the sun. They have heard from Margot who has come from the Earth and has first¬hand experience of the sun. They are extremely jealous of Margot because she has seen the sun. Because of being unorthodox about the knowledge of the sun, Margot feels great trouble in mixing up with other children and hence she becomes the victim of their resentment and cruel attitude. They bully her and finally to deprive her of enjoying the sunshine, they lock her in a closet.
When the sun appears, all the children exit the tunnels and begin to run around and enjoy the sun. they run and turn their faces upto the sky and feel the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron. They take off their clothes and let the sun bum their body. They lie out, play and enjoy the weather. For the children it was all summer in a day.
The title of the story also shows the possible theme of happiness only lasts a while. While we think of summer we think of happiness and usually summer stays for a long time. The title however says a summer in a day. A day is short compared to a whole summer.
The Use of Foreshadowing
There are many instances in which BradBury uses foreshadowing. For example, he uses foreshadowing when the children go outside to play and they feel a small raindrop. This foreshadows that something gloomy is going to happen like the rain comes back. He also uses foreshadow when the storm breaks out. The storm foreshadows a big change coming there.
Ironical Element
The writer has used situational irony in the story. Venus is actually a hot and dry planet, but in this short story, it is described as being constantly drowned in the rain. The name “Venus’ is also the title given to the goddess of beauty, but ironically the Venus in this story is actually quite ugly with its colourless, flesh¬like weeds. The jungle in this world is also not what we would expect. Instead of
seeing vibrant, lush greens, the forests are ‘the colour of rubber and ash the colour of stones and white cheese and ink, the colour of the moon.’
Rain is normally supposed to bring life and make the world green and alive. But in this story, the years of rain has made Venus a monochrome wasteland. Margot is treated as an ‘alien’ because she comes from Earth.
The situational irony in this story is Margot’s not being able to see the sun. After seven years, the sun finally comes up, but the classmates decide to throw Margot in the closet. This is the irony because she really wanted to see the sun and she got the opposite.
The Use of Symbols
In the story, one example would be the sun, ‘I think the sun is just a flower that blooms for one hour.’ Flowers are pretty and when people think of flowers they think of good things like love. So when she (Margot) said that she could have meant that nothing good stays forever because like flowers the sun goes away too but flowers like the sun come again. That’s why the sun might represent her hope for the future.
The sun in the short story symbolises warmth and familiarity. Margot remembers the sun ever so slightly but still has a strong longing to go out and see the sun. This is because she is homesick on Venus and wants to go back to Earth. The sun is a piece of her memory that gives her that warm and familiar place that she desires to be at which is Earth her home.
‘Rain not only symbolises sadness and despair, but also cleansing. It foreshadows tragedy for Margot and how the children are suffocating in their rain filled world that is full of jealousy.
‘Wind and storm’ symbolises violet human emotions. Because the children have lived in a world drowning in rain storms, their good qualities have been washed away making the children quick tempered and envious.
The ‘sun’ symbolises a ray of sunshine emerging from darkness. When the sun emerges, the children are filled with lost happiness and the light guides them away from their dark intentions. ‘Summer’ symbolises maturity and knowledge.
The Use of Images
The writer has used the images in the story :
‘She was a very frail from an album.’ (Description of Margot)
‘The concussion of storms tidal waves.’ (Storm)
‘The colour of blazing blue.’ (Sunrise)
‘It was a nest of Octopi cheeses and the moon.’ (Venus Forests)
The Use of Figure of Speech
The writer uses numerous similes while depicting the children and the sun. When he describes how the children press together to lookout the window, he says they are Tike so many roses, so many weeds.’ Later, the children are Tike a feverish wheel’, Tike animals escaped from their caves’, Tike so many stakes’ and Tike leaves before a new hurricane’. While describing the sun, he says, ‘The sun is like a lemon’, Tike a fire’, Tike a penny’, and Tike a warm iron’.
The writer has used the figure of speech hyperbole in the following lines :
- ‘The gigantic sound of the rain falling in tons and avalanches, everywhere and forever.’
- ‘ a coin large enough to buy the world with.’
- ‘The silence was immense and unbelievable that you felt your ears had been stuffed or you had lost your hearing.’
Metaphors have been used to describe the rain. It is compared to ‘tidal waves’, a ‘tatting drum’ and to clear beads from a necklace that fall on the roof and disappear. Margot is metaphorically described as an ‘Old photograph dusted from an album’ and a ghost. The writer compares the stopping of the rain to film that suddenly gets ripped from the projection and replaced with a still photograph. Metaphors are used to describe the Venus jungle include ‘a nest of octopi, clustering up great arms of flesh like weed’, ‘rubber’, ‘mattresses’ and ‘white cheeses’. The silence that the children enjoy during the hour of sunshine is compared to a sea.
The writer has used the figure of speech personification in the following :
‘They were all nine years old and if there had been a day, even years ago, when the sun came out for an hour and showed its face in the stunned world.’
Biblical Allusions
It had been raining for seven years. Seven years ago the sun came out for an hour, the number ‘seven’ is biblical in many ways such as the seven days of creation. In scripture, seven symbolises completeness or perfection. So when the sun comes, it makes Venus ‘perfect’ for an hour.
Next, Margot is a ‘Christ figure’. She believes in something that other don’t, such as the sun (which is God) and everyone denies her. Later on, the children ‘surged’, ‘caught’, and ‘bore’ her and locked her in a closet, far away from being able to see the sun. This is very similar to the persecution of Christ followers and how they were not allowed to believe in God.
Then, Noah’s ark- is another reference because of the endless rain that drowns Venus everyday. The children are kept inside until the day the sun appears and they can set foot outdoors to see the beauty of a cleansed world.
The Use of Asyndeton
Bradbury often uses asyndeton, putting phrases together without conjunctions, to give his writing energy. Here is an example : ‘Lightning struck ten miles away, five miles away, a mile, a half mile.’
Narration
The story is told by someone who is watching from an outside perspective, the writer uses words such as he, she and it that show us it is in third person. The story is in third person because we are limited to know a certain amount. The narrator does not know what the character’s deep emotions or thoughts are. They (the readers) also do not know what will happen next. The narrator is not all knowing therefore it is in third person omniscient.
Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers