be futuristic things. Bradbury uses robots to show the value people place on science over human beings. In "Marionettes, Inc.", two men are unhappy with their wives. One man, Braling tells the other man, Smith, that he has purchased a robot to take his place as a husband. Braling lets his robot duplicate live with his wife during the day. Then at night, he locks it up. After a brief discussion, the men part and go home. Smith returns home to his wife, and he senses that something is wrong. He finds out that his wife is actually a robot. Then Braling tries to lock up his robot at home, but the robot instead locks him up, and throws away the key. It is very ironic how the machine defeats the man. This is a story about technology being valued more than actual people.Another common element, Mars, serves as the setting for a lot of Bradbury's works. Mars seems to be a very effective setting. It produces a feeling of mystery since no man has ever been there. This is very helpful to Bradbury because he does not give specific details about his environments. He never gives a literal description of Mars in his stories. He allows the reader to make their own mental picture of the surface of Mars (Touponce 230). This is a great aspect of his writings because by not writing a description of the setting, the reader can enjoy making their own. Each person can view certain things differently. In Bradbury's stories, the reader is free to.Space travel represents what the sea once was in Bradbury's writings. In "The Rocket Man", space travel has become a common thing. Many people become pilots and crewmen on rocket ships, even though it is dangerous. To one man, space travel becomes a passionate job. It becomes an addiction like the sea is for sailors. The man chooses the risk of death and space over his loving family, and he eventually dies. Space seems to "get into a man's blood" (Johnson 40). On a larger scale, space represent...
