Bradbury's Influence On Literature
Bradbury referenced Edgar Allen Poe and other authors to show a loss of literature and American tradition due to technological advancement. “Usher II” tells of a crazed man’s reconstruction of the House of Usher as he murders the government officials who ban books. This character embodies Bradbury, as he is both influenced by Poe and relishes literature, condemning its censorship. It sets an example that humans came looking to Mars for something new, but their selfish impulses to censor the past destroyed that possibility. When asked why Mr. Stendhal (the fanatic) was murdering them, he replied in a Bradbury manner:
‘Garrett,’ said Stendhal, ‘do you know why I’ve done this to you?’ ‘Because you burned Mr. Poe’s books without really reading
them. You took other people’s advice that they needed burning. Otherwise you’d have realized what I was going to do to you when we came down here a moment a go. Ignorance is fatal, Mr. Garrett.’ (Bradbury 156)
Ignorance is fatal throughout The Martian Chronicles and remains so when advancing technology while casting away literature and history. Despite overwhelming evidence that this novel has pessimistic, distrusting views on America, government, colonization, and technology, Bradbury did not end his novel on a gloomy note. The long journey both to Mars and through the novel has rocky points along the way, but they are not to undermine Bradbury’s hope for the future. Bradbury’s personal statements stressed that space is humanity, saying, “‘Man will only breathe easily when he has climbed the tallest Evert of all: Space. Not because it us there, no, but because he must survive and survival means mans populating all the worlds of all the suns’” (qtd. in Gallagher 39). This expression shows Bradbury’s knowledge that technology is both essential and positive for mankind. He dreamt about the potential of its growth in a positive way. The significance was enlightening scientists and the American people that advancing human progress in an age of war and space travel is part of history, but if dealt with incorrectly, could lead to its demise (Harlow 311-314). Bradbury’s acceptance of technology is clear, but his opinion on humanity’s future remains clouded until the last vignettes.
‘Garrett,’ said Stendhal, ‘do you know why I’ve done this to you?’ ‘Because you burned Mr. Poe’s books without really reading
them. You took other people’s advice that they needed burning. Otherwise you’d have realized what I was going to do to you when we came down here a moment a go. Ignorance is fatal, Mr. Garrett.’ (Bradbury 156)
Ignorance is fatal throughout The Martian Chronicles and remains so when advancing technology while casting away literature and history. Despite overwhelming evidence that this novel has pessimistic, distrusting views on America, government, colonization, and technology, Bradbury did not end his novel on a gloomy note. The long journey both to Mars and through the novel has rocky points along the way, but they are not to undermine Bradbury’s hope for the future. Bradbury’s personal statements stressed that space is humanity, saying, “‘Man will only breathe easily when he has climbed the tallest Evert of all: Space. Not because it us there, no, but because he must survive and survival means mans populating all the worlds of all the suns’” (qtd. in Gallagher 39). This expression shows Bradbury’s knowledge that technology is both essential and positive for mankind. He dreamt about the potential of its growth in a positive way. The significance was enlightening scientists and the American people that advancing human progress in an age of war and space travel is part of history, but if dealt with incorrectly, could lead to its demise (Harlow 311-314). Bradbury’s acceptance of technology is clear, but his opinion on humanity’s future remains clouded until the last vignettes.