Analysis Of There Will Come Soft Rains By Ray Bradbury

All throughout history, mankind has only seen the use of atomic weapons twice, due to the devastation it causes. The bomb that mankind had created was too powerful and destructive, that it would soon lead to its demise. Ray Bradbury, the author of “There Will Come Soft Rains” knew this, as he lived through the creation and use of atomic bombs. He wrote this short story during the 1950s when the Cold War Era was taking over. “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury reflects the fear at the time that other nations might use their harmful technology on the world and extinguish humanity.
The story begins within a house that is starting the morning routine for the family that lives inside of it. However, early on the author hints at the fact that the house is completely empty. The clock in the house ticked on, “repeating its sounds into the emptiness” (Bradbury). The house makes breakfast, cleans, and runs as if people are still living there. At night however, “the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles” (Bradbury). This refers to what was happening during the era that Bradbury wrote this story. During the 1950s, although the United States emerged from WWII triumphant, it was not long before the Soviet Union developed their own supply of nuclear weapons. The use of the first nuclear weapons at Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan initiated the cold war era and decades of fear. (http://www.ushistory.org/us/51g.asp).
The house is a representation of what is left after the world is destroyed by nuclear warfare. There are no humans present in the story only traces of them. “The five spots of pain – the man, the woman, the children, the ball – remained. The rest was a thin charcoaled layer” (Bradbury). Bradb...

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...neglected technology are still present in nature. The house stands alone in a scorched land, surrounded by ruins, remnants of other buildings and homes. Animals also exist in nature without humanity, however in poor conditions. The foxes, cats, and sparrows search for food and shelter from the home; the family dog dies from radiation poisoning and starvation. Nature also takes over inside of the house because the house functions by mechanical animals such as the mice, rats, and snakes. The children’s bedroom features an artificial jungle with mechanical animals and synthetic environments. This shows that even though mankind is gone, technology cannot live and eventually nature will start taking over again. In the end, nature prevails over technology. A tree falls on the house causing the fire which is a basic, natural force and a symbol of true destructive power.