When one of the respected New York publications asked this science fiction writer a question about why mankind has still not come in contact with other worlds, the answer was sharp and unexpected.
“Yes, because we are idiots!” Ray Bradbury answered the dumb journalist. What has deduced from the patience of a man who can rightfully be called the first anti-globalist even before the appearance of this political movement in the world? The reason, according to the classic, is the inferiority of the vector of the modern scientific and technological revolution. The writer, with all his works, appeals to humanity, proving them with plots that the soulless technocratic society has no future.
In part, however, the story “Bradbury's Smile” answers allegorically. A summary of the work written in the style of symbolism is the subject of consideration in this article.
The story characterizing all the work of the great American
He had something to tell people. No exception - and the story "Smile" Bradbury. The summary of this work cannot be expressed in one or two phrases, since the classic wrote it highly artistically. This story makes readers think ...
The author of the work, the depths of which many politicians were struck by, extremely carefully studied and listened to all the products of the scientific and technological revolution and gave such a deep characterization of their expediency that even scientists were surprised ...
Some connoisseurs of his talent claim that Ray Bradbury is not an accidental guest in this world. His intuition was extraordinary. He was from whom to inherit the gift. According to family tradition, his ancestor Mary Bradbury was once burned at the stake.
Perhaps he was given the mind to cover a lot, and he carried with him the crown of thorns of a special mission to prevent mankind. No exception is the story "Smile" (Bradbury). The summary plunges the reader into the post-information, post-war era.
Conciseness - a feature of Bradbury's creative style
The true master of the pen, Bradbury with a single phrase, in a short fragment accentuates the reader with what can be stated in paragraphs and pages. His whole story is placed on only three pages of printed text (there is nothing to reduce), and at the same time he carries such a semantic load that would fit the whole story. This creative manner of those who summarize his writings puts him in an extremely uncomfortable position.
Ray Bradbury, "Smile" ... It is worth hearing to fans of his work, and they will imagine completely destroyed urban and industrial infrastructure, people living according to the laws of the primitive communal system, subsistence farming. The cowardly police look a little strange in such a city.
Hopelessness of human existence
People who voluntarily choose animal life do not care what year they live in: 2061 or 3000. Each new day as a twin is like the previous and the next. By hard peasant labor, they get their daily bread. About them, who voluntarily find themselves out of time, feeling themselves in a void, in hopelessness, tells the readers of "Smile" (Bradbury). The summary of the story contains an important author’s thought: they hate the civilization destroyed by the war, which brought them only misfortune.
In this capacious thesis, the key to explaining all terrible life is hidden. Their clothes are sewn from burlap, their hands are covered with pimples, they work hard, growing their own food in the gardens.
However, this is only the entourage of the story, a statement of post-apocalyptic reality. Another thing is surprising: in principle, civilization is not being restored by them. On the contrary, we learn from the story that the inhabitants themselves, of their own free will, discovered a factory that "tried to produce aircraft", defeated it. The same fate befell the printing house and the discovered ammunition depot.
The rabid townspeople and the surviving cars attack, crashing and breaking them.
Degradation of people
Ray Bradbury (Smile) talks about this phenomenon, generated by their traumatized consciousness destroyed by civilization.
The summary contains short phrases of the characters, fragments showing the reader their emotional, cultural and cognitive impoverishment. Their intelligence is purposefully and methodically destroyed by someone. Such people will not get to the bottom of the matter, it is enough for them somewhere to hear someone dropped explanation.
They live as if by inertia, however, market days and "holidays" bring some revival into their existence. They are waiting for them.
Lean market days
Bradbury ("Smile") writes practically nothing about the market days in the story. An analysis of the story, however, gives reason to believe that market trade in a poor city is also very miserable. The reader comes to this conclusion based on a description of the street sale of coffee. This is a primitive ersatz made from some kind of berries. It is cooked on a fire in a rusty pan, a boiling brew has a disgusting appearance. However, this drink, judging by the author’s remark, is "not very affordable for anyone." This gives us the opportunity to argue that the inhabitants are poor enough for trade to be complete.
Wild holidays
Having examined the bazaar days, let us move on to the "holidays", the action of which is described in more detail by R. Bradbury ("Smile"). The summary of the story tells that for survivors of the war this word does not mean the usual restoring strength.
"Holidays" in the ruined city are organized to stir up all the worst that is in them. People "have fun" by burning books, breaking the remaining cars, destroying and breaking everything around. The picture of this coven seems even more embossed, even more ugly from the fact that Ray Bradbury ("Smile") uses the impassive, everyday speech to describe her. The summary of the story contains descriptions of demoralized, lumpenized people who have forgotten how to love the world around them, their city. The original hatred, the object of which was the circumstances that broke their lives, spread to everything around.
Spark of hope
Most of them just live today. However, in the conversation of the passerby Grigsby with his friend, a glimmer of hope is suddenly felt. Without her, who later found the subject of its implementation, the story “Bradbury's Smile” might not have become a world classic. The summary of the work, presenting hitherto destroyed by the war buildings, mutilated by bombs pavement, takes on a different meaning from the phrase dropped by the nameless interlocutor of the aforementioned Grigsby.
Under the protective mask of indifference (so as not to stand out) and vulgarity, the movement of the soul of this person is felt. He really did not lose hope. A man believes in the coming appearance of a brilliant man who can "patch up" everything that is destroyed. But the new civilization, in his conviction, should not repeat the mistakes of the previous civilization. Its bearer must possess a sense of beauty, in order to subsequently harmoniously develop society.
And this person, the future creator of a new civilization, is really presented to us by "Smile", the story of Ray Bradbury. The summary of the work shows that this long-awaited lamp is, in essence, a child. But at first it is still unknown even to himself.
The saved smile is the beginning of a new civilization
The ragged boy Tom woke up in the morning in order to manage to take the turn for the holiday. The "fun" bestowed on the crowd consisted of executing the painting. The victim of barbarism was to be the Mona Lisa of the great Leonardo da Vinci. To inflame the crowd, they first rumored that the picture was fake.
The masterpiece was fenced with a rope stretched on four brass pillars. At first, the line passed by, and everyone spat on the canvas. However, when Tom’s turn came, he stopped in front of the canvas as if rooted to the spot. “She is beautiful!” The boy could only say. But he was pushed away, and the line went on as usual. Then the mounted policeman announced that the painting would be put to destruction.
Ray Douglas Bradbury (“Smile”) tells of the demoniacity of the crowd overjoyed by such news. The summary of the story contains a terrible scene of reprisal over the canvas. Even the police escaped, frightened by a wave of hatred set free. Tom felt that the crowd was pushing him right on the frame, and managed to grab a piece of canvas, until the kicks and jerks threw him away.
Instead of a conclusion
It was already getting dark. Clutching a scrap of painting tightly in his hand , crying, the boy ran home. He lived in a suburban village, in a ruined farm building near a silo. In the dark, he whisked into the ruined farm building, where his family settled down, squeezed through a narrow door and lay down beside his brother. He jokingly kicked him, because the day before he had worked all day in the garden. Father and mother grunted and fell asleep. When the moon came up and its light fell on the blanket, Tom unclenched his fist, which he had held so close to his chest, and carefully examined the scrap of canvas. The smile of Gioconda was visible on him ...
The boy smiled back and hid her. Now his new life was lit up with a kind, affectionate, eternal and unique smile. And the whole world seemed to be silent around him ... On this peaceful scene, Bradbury's story "Smile" ends. The reader’s analysis and conclusions are truly humanistic and profound. This is real literature.