The Martian Chronicles Chapter Questions

Rocket Summer
1. While Bradbury knew as well as anyone that no conceivable number of rocket launches could
literally change the weather in this way, how does he evoke enthusiasm for the coming space age?
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2. Imagery is defined as language that appeals to the senses. For each of the following senses, find
at least one example of imagery: sight, sound, and touch.
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Ylla
1. What is Martian technology like? What features make them seem all too human, even oldfashioned?
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2. What are the unspoken assumptions about men's and women's roles in this story? What kind of
relationship does this couple have?
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3. Is Yllas dream man only a dream? What happens to him? What clues does Bradbury provide
that lead to these conclusions?
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The Summer Night

1. How is this linking tale similar in theme to "Ylla?"
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2. Is the Martian ability to read thoughts an advantage or a disadvantage? What is the purpose of this
chapter? What literary device is it being used here?
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The Earth Men
1. If Captain Williams and his men are the Second Expedition, what happened to the First Expedition?
(he doesnt know but you should!)
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2. What are Captain Williams and his crew expecting when they meet their first Martians? What kind
of welcome do they get instead?
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3. Who/what do Mr. Iii and Mr. Xxx think Captain William and his men are? Find 3 different lines
that tell you this.
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4. This particular story, like many by Bradbury, is filled with irony; what ironies do you see?
(remember that irony is the difference between what is expected and what happens)
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The Third Expedition

1. How is the reception of the Earth men on this expedition different from the reception of the
previous expedition?
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2. What do the men from the spaceship believe they have found on Mars? What is the reality?
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3. What happens to Captain Black and the other men from the spaceship? Why do you think the
Martians hold the funeral at the end of the story? Does this change your impression of them or
what they did?
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4. The Martians in "The Earth Men" seem to have acted out of confusion rather than malice. Is this
true of the Martians in this story? What do you think the Martians motives are? Why might those
motives have developed since the time of the earlier story?
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Part II:
And the Moon Be Still as Bright
1. What has happened to the Martians in this story? Who is responsible? What is Jeff Spenders
emotional reaction to this knowledge? (look at page 51)
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2. When Spender says he met a Martian in the hills, is he speaking literally?
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3. Who kills Cherokee, Cookie and the other men? Why?
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4. What does Spender see as the two cultural forces that clashed on Earth but which the Martians
succeeded in blending? How did Martians answer the question, "What is the meaning of life?"
according to Spender?
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5. What does the captain's decide has to be done about Spender? How does he feel about doing this?
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6. Why does the Captain tell his men that I think it would be a good idea for you to think of Spender
from time to time.? Do you think the men will think of Spender the way the Captain wants them
to? Explain.
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7. Spender says that We Earth men have a talent for ruining big, beautiful things. While Captain
Wilder argues that perhaps all this will change us for the betterWell learn from Mars. Who do
you agree with more?
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8. This story seems modeled on World War II movies about a small troop of men from various ethnic
backgrounds faced with a dangerous environment. The token minority figure here is a Native
American named "Cherokee;" why is Bradbury's choice especially appropriate for this story?
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9. The crew seems much like that of a traditional adventure novel: rough, ill-educated sailors, very
unlike the astronauts of our day. Aside from the question of realism, why might Bradbury have
wanted to use a group of "average guys" as his explorers?
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The Settlers
1. Why do men come to Mars in the first place? How do they feel when they arrive?
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2. What do you think Bradbury is trying to get across with this short chapter?
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The Green Morning

1. Even in 1950, it was known that Mars had little oxygen in its atmosphere. Its reddish hue suggested
that at one time there had been more free oxygen on Mars which had slowly combined with iron to
produce iron oxide. The standard science fictional Mars was an exhausted planet whose ancient
civilization, if any, would have died with the atmosphere. Humans could live there only in sealed
environments or by "terraforming" the planet to render its atmosphere more breathable. Why does
Bradbury need a chapter like this?
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2. If you are not familiar with the story of Johnny Appleseed, look it up. What parallels do you see?
Why does Bradbury need a chapter like this (consider the information above)?
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The Locusts
1. How are the rockets like locusts? What is Bradbury saying about human exploration?
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Night Meeting One of the favorite SciFi themes with only very slim scientific justification is time
travel. No rationale is offered here for communication between eras: Mars is magic. Dont let this
bother you; just enjoy the story.
1. Who represents the present and who represents the future in this story? What is the emotional
impact of this encounter between two eras?
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2. What indication is there in this story that when it was written Bradbury was not thinking of a Mars
covered by the trees described in "The Green Morning?"
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3. Is there a message in this story? What does the closing paragraph convey about the nature of life
and time?
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The Musicians
Bradbury gives no rationale for this determined obliteration of the Martian cities, much more thorough
and deliberate than anything ever attempted in the history of Earthly colonialism. (It is here that he first
introduces the concept of "Firemen" who light fires rather than putting them out, a concept developed
more fully in his novel Fahrenheit 451.)
1. What are the Earthmen (and little boys) doing in this story? What are the boys using as
instruments?
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2. What would Spender have said if he could see what happens in this story? What seems to be
Bradburys attitude toward humanity here?
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Way in the Middle of the Air

1. This story seems very dated--even condescending--now: but it was written during the first
stirrings of the post-World War II civil rights movement, and was outspoken for its time in its
attack on Southern lynching, segregation and racism generally. In what ways does Bradbury
attack the contemporary attitudes towards African Americans?
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2. What would be the significance of naming a rocket "Over Jordan?" To what Biblical events one
past, one future, is this escape from Earth compared?
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3. Is human nature portrayed any differently in this story than in the stories immediately preceding
it?
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The Naming of Names
5. What quality of the later immigrants to Mars serves to introduce the next story?
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6. How is this story confirmation of what Spender prophesied would happen?
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Usher II
This story reflects the Bradburian affection for fantasy and horror literature combined. The attack on
censorship which it embodies (foreshadowing the more fully-developed attack of Fahrenheit 451) is
justified by reference to fairy tales and other sentimental children's favorites; but the works being
defended most passionately are the horror tales of Edgar Allan Poe.
1. How many different stories (either by Poe or references to fairy tales) can you identify?
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2. In 1950, the McCarthy hearings inspired some to protest by attacking censorship Does this story
successfully convey an anti-censorship message? Why or why not?
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The Martian
From this point on, having seemingly exterminated the Martians, Bradbury brings them back again and
again in various forms. Rather than view this as a damaging inconsistency, it makes more sense to read
these stories as variations on a theme.
5. In the past, Bradbury gave the Martians the power of telepathy; what power does he give them in
this story?
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6. What human characteristics does Bradbury give the Martians?
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7. What is he saying humans need in this story?
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Part III:
This story seems wildly implausible now, but it was modeled on the flight of migrs from Europe back
to the U.S. at the beginning of each of the great World Wars; and would have seemed familiar to
readers in 1950. What motivates the immigrants to return to Earth?
The Off Season
Visions of atomic apocalypse were published in some numbers in the years immediately following the
bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Even though in 1948 the Soviet Union was far from posing any
serious nuclear threat, Bradbury's story reflects the fears of many that humanity had entered an era of
unprecedented danger.
3. In which earlier story did Sam Parkhill play a role? Is his behavior here consistent with that in the
earlier story? Explain.
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4. How does this story compare with the traditional battle-with-aliens-for-survival story?
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5. The description of the death of Earth is even more fantastic than the collapse of an entire city from
the impact of a single bullet earlier in the story. Why do you think Bradbury uses such exaggerated
language? What would a real nuclear war probably look like from Mars?
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The Silent Towns
4. This story is probably the most stereotypically sexist in the book. How are men and women
portrayed? Are these portrayals complimentary?
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5. This story is full of irony and humor identify at least two instances where irony
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6. What do you think this storys message is?
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The Long Years
1. In what ways does this story celebrate love, marriage, and other traditional family values?
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2. What role does technology play in this story? Is this a different role than Bradbury has given
technology in earlier stories?
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3. This story re-introduces the characters Hathaway and Captain Wilder how do their actions in
this story reflect on what they did or said in -And the Moon be Still as Bright?
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4. How does this story present the human race? Is this different than the way humans have been
presented in previous stories?
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There Will Come Soft Rains

This story was partly inspired by the silhouettes of people burned by the bomb onto buildings and
streets in Hiroshima. Like "Usher II," there is no obvious reason for it to be included in a volume of
stories set on Mars.
This is an unusual story in that it has no living human beings in it; why do you think Bradbury wrote it
like that? What is he trying to show?
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The Million-Year Picnic
This was the first of the Martian Chronicles stories to be written, shortly after the end of World War II.
It was first published in Planet Stories in the summer of 1946.
1. Why has the father in this story brought his children to Mars? What measures does the father
take to try to ensure for his children a better future?
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2. What does Bradbury imply when he has the father show the boys Martians at the end of the
story? Who are these Martians?
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3. Does the story make you feel hopeful for the survival of the human race? Why/why not?
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