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Brianna Fields
Dr. Renner
Eng 364
13 December2015
East Versus West: Religion in Ray Bradburys Illustrated Man
Religion is a topic widely used in Science Fiction, and Ray Bradbury is one of many
authors to use it. One of the most well-known authors of the genre, his work is on the same level
as Isaac Asimov and Phillip K. Dick, other highly regarded SF writers. However, compared to SF
as whole, Bradburys approach to religion is unique. He presents a positive picture, and looks at
religion from an eastern as well as a western perspective. For the purposes of this paper I define
western religion as Christianity, Catholicism, and any religion rooted in Protestantism. While I
consider eastern religion as any religion coming from Asia or the Middle East, my focus will be
on Hinduism and Buddhism. When The Illustrated Man was published [t]he association of
religion with the uncivilized remained a common trope (James 276). If religion is represented or
discussed at all in SF it is almost always from a negative western point of view. Because
traditional SF has been dominated by white males from western society, most religious
representations are also from the western perspective. This trend is evident in the religious
themes explored in The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Of the 26
listed themes three can be considered as coming from eastern religion: Islam, Judaism, and Yin
and Yang.
In his book, The Illustrated Man, a collection of short stories, Bradbury creates a positive
association with religion, unlike many of his peers. The short story Fire Balloons is the most
striking example of this. Bradbury does not only use a positive picture of western religion, but of

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eastern religion as well. He also chooses symbols and characters that could be interpreted as
originating from many religions. An important fact that contributes to the versatility of The Fire
Balloons religious interpretations, and the novel as a whole, is that religious references are not
categorized as being eastern or western. Any interpretations must be drawn from the details,
similarities, and differences. The one exception for the whole book happens in The Fire
Balloons, where the priests are described as Episcopal. While the priests in The Fire Balloons
are Episcopal, the fire balloons themselves, one name for the original inhabitants or Mars, have
many beliefs in common with Buddhism and Hinduism. However, the two main characters of the
story can also be interpreted as representing Moses and Aaron from the Bible. Mountains and the
wilderness are symbols found in many religions that also feature prominently in several short
stories, including The Fire Balloons. Bradburys use of religion is all inclusive, making use of
eastern and western perspectives, as well as symbols that leave room for interpretations from
even more religions.
Fire Balloons begins with a group of Episcopal priests preparing to start their
missionary work on Mars where a city has been established by men from earth. Father Peregrine,
the leader of the group, and Father Stone, his sidekick, learn that there is a group of Martians
living in the hills who have become blue orbs. They are also referred to as fire balloons. While
the other fathers remain hesitant, Father Peregrine is eager to bring the word of Christ to this
strange race. Stone and Peregrine travel alone into the mountains outside of the town where the
fire balloons live. When a landslide threatens the two fathers lives, the blue orbs appear and
save them. This encounter makes Father Peregrine even more determined to share Christianity
with them. He returns to the town only to find the other Fathers unwilling to attempt any kind of
communication with the blue orbs. Peregrine eventually convinces them and they return to the

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mountains with the intention of building a church. The fire balloons appear again explaining to
the fathers that they do not need their religion because they already are living lives without sin.
The fathers believe them, and at the end return to the city.
The fathers themselves and their actions are the main source of western influence on the
story. They are trying to spread the idea of a western god and build a western church. The use of
God with a capital g is another association with western religion. The fire balloons also show a
few characteristics that are in line with western thinking. For example, Father Peregrine talks
about the concept of sin, a western idea: We have put away the sins of the body and live in
Gods grace (89). The orbs say that they live free of bodily ills and melancholy, of death
[w]e live in happiness (89). This description of a happy life without sickness is similar to
western descriptions of life in heaven. Father Peregrine and Father Stone also strongly resemble
the biblical characters of Moses and Aaron who lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Both are iconic
and well known figures of the Bible. Father Peregrine is Moses, the strong leader, while Father
Stone is the somewhat reluctant Aaron. In the biblical story Aaron is more or less Mosess
sidekick, a supporting character who questions Moses. The same can be said for Father Stone:
Father Peregrine nodded to the hills. Then thats where well go. But globes of fire! [said
Father Stone] (79). Father Stones hesitance in following Father Peregrine is a trait he shares
with Aaron. When Peregrine and Stone rejoin their fellows after their first trip into the hills of
Mars, Peregrine presents the idea of preaching to the blue orbs. Father Stone and the other priests
respond by calling his attempts cheap magic tricks. The discussion, or argument, goes on for a
page and a half. In the Bible Moses experiences a similar problem: After the Israelites left Sinai
the people fell into the habit of complaining and criticizing Moses. Sadly Aaron joined in the

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criticism (Hyatt 61). The modeling of Stone and Peregrine after Moses and Aaron is only one
of Bradburys many forays into western religion.
Western religion is a theme explored in many SF texts and has received extensive
analysis. And while Buddhism is not a common topic in SF, it does have some precedence in
other American literature, with authors like Kerouac and Ginsberg. In Encountering Buddhism in
Twentieth-Century British and American Literature, Lawrence Norman and Alison Winch
examine Buddhist themes in various texts. A lack of precedence for eastern religion in other SF
writings draws attention to Bradburys personal religious beliefs. In an interview he calls himself
a religious delicatessen. He's inspired by Eastern and Western religions. I'm a Zen Buddhist
if I would describe myself. [Bradbury says]. He considers Jesus a wise prophet, like Buddha and
Confucius (Blake Interview). His own views on religion influenced his writing, and created a
unique sampling of traits from many religions.
What is so remarkable about how Bradbury uses religion, are the moments when
interpretations could be made in favor of western or eastern influences. One instance of this
occurs when the blue orbs interact with the fathers. During their discussion the fathers assume
the Martians holiness to be Christian in nature, but that is not the only way to interpret the orbs
state of being. The Fathers are described as Episcopalian, and so accept the Martians as being
holy in a Christian sense, despite the fact that the orbs have had no known interaction with
Christianity before. The fire balloons way of life more closely resembles that of enlightenment in
eastern religion. The Buddhist path to enlightenment can be described as a succession from
suffering. These sufferings come from desire and cause physical and mental pain, jealousy, and
an unhappy life. The orbs specifically mention no longer being a part of these sufferings, to free
him[man] of bodily ills and melancholies, of death and transfigurations . . . neither rich nor poor .

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. . we covet no other property (89). They have let go of any physical or mental suffering and no
longer desire things. They are no longer prideful or arrogant, results of becoming enlightened.
The blue fires prophet is another example of Bradburys blending of east and west.
Their prophet could be interpreted as representing either Jesus or Buddha: The legend has it that
one of us, a good man, found a way to free mans souls and intellect (89). The good man
mentioned in the story could be understood to represent Jesus, because like Jesus, he freed mans
souls by dying on the cross. Jesuss death allowed mans souls to be freed in the form of
salvation and heaven. However, the immediacy of the results of the prophets teachings, more
closely resembles Hinduism and the teachings of Buddha. In Christianity a person goes to
heaven after they die, while in Buddhism a person becomes enlightened but remains on earth.
The blue orbs remained on mars after their transformation. Their souls did not go to heaven; they
only changed and continued to exist in an altered state. The prophets origin is also important to
the Jesus versus Buddha interpretation. Siddhartha became the Buddha after sitting under a bo
tree and achieving enlightenment. He then returned from seclusion to share his experiences and
help others achieve enlightenment, also known as Buddhahood. There is no explanation for how
the man mentioned by the blue orbs discovered a way to free mans souls. Whether he achieved
the ability to free mans souls and intellect on his own like Buddha, or was given the ability
from a God figure, is unknown. Knowing the origins of his wisdom and ability would tip the
scales in favor of eastern or western interpretation. But, leaving the mans identity vague, means
interpretation is left to reader.
Buddhism does not account for the blue orbs change in appearance, but another eastern
religion, Hinduism, does. The Martians orb like state is closely related to the Hindu concept of
enlightenment, which is different from enlightenment in Buddhism. In Hinduism when a person

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becomes enlightened there is a change in their state of existence. In Buddhism a person simply
gains wisdom, but their physical body remains unchanged. According to the standards of
Hinduism the fire balloons have achieved enlightenment. They used to be human, but no longer
have bodies, and live in peace. Their physical state of existence accurately represents what
happens after one achieves enlightenment in Hinduism. In Hinduism it is believed that bodies are
only temporary and there is a true self, called atman, which continues to exist throughout many
reincarnations. When a person achieves enlightenment the body is left behind, the atman is freed,
and the cycle of reincarnation ends. The orbs tell the fathers that their soul and intellect is free.
This is similar to the idea of freeing ones true self through enlightenment. The atman is born
again and again until the person achieves enlightenment and escapes the cycle of rebirth. The
Martians used to have human bodies but those were put aside and what is left is the blue fire or
atman. After achieving enlightenment there is no more death and the blue orbs have been living
for so long without death they no longer remember how they came to be that way.
Bradbury made explicit references to both eastern and western religion in The Fire
Balloons. He further strengthens the relationship between his story and eastern, western, as well
as religions not explicitly mentioned, by using symbols that exist across many religions. These
symbols include the concept of wilderness and mountains. Science Fiction as a whole has made
wide use of wilderness as a topic. Dean writes about wilderness in Studies in Science Fiction.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction also marks this trend in their extensive
exploration of the subject. Space, and Mars in particular, are common expressions of the
wilderness theme, both of which are present in Bradburys The Illustrated Man. Because of
Bradburys use of religion, the wilderness takes on another more significant meaning. Too much
evidence exists that supports each religious interpretation for his use of these symbols to be a

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coincidence. Several prophet figures from different religions, including Buddha, Mohamad, and
Christ, have traveled into the wilderness. Before he was Buddha, the prophets name was
Siddhartha, and he was a prince. Siddhartha traveled into an uninhabited forest and sat under a
tree, becoming enlightened after seven days of meditation. Mohamed, the founder of Islam,
would often retreat to a secluded cave to pray. It was there that he heard the voice of Gabriel and
received the command to preach. Jesus Christ also had a wilderness experience. He went into the
desert too fast for forty days and forty nights, at the end of which he was tempted by Satan. The
Israelites also had a wilderness experience, wandering in the desert for forty years after leaving
Egypt. Three religions from different parts of the world all feature the wilderness as a theme. In
Bradburys stories, the wilderness is represented by Mars and space. Mars is often used to
represent wilderness: The planets in our own system may be wildernesses. Mars is often
depicted in this manner, as in Ray Bradburys the Martian Chronicles (860 Greenwood). The
Fire Balloons has an extra layer of wilderness to it. While there is a town established on Mars,
the fathers go away from it into the hills. Bradburys use of wilderness is purposeful and used to
connect his story to religions not otherwise referenced.
A second, almost universal, religious symbol are mountains. In many stories, from many
religions, mountains are a place where people go to receive enlightenment or the word of God.
Bradburys use of this theme is not by accident. The fathers received their enlightenment at the
end of the story. Father Stone and Father Peregrine travel into the mountains to meet the blue
orbs, and are later accaompanied by all the fathers. The priests try building a church and
encounter the fire balloons again, who share some of their wisdom. At the end, after
encountering the orbs, Father Stone says, The way I see it there is a Truth on every planet. All
parts of the big Truth (Bradbury 90). Muhamad also frequently traveled into the mountains. On

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the night of Ramadan he heard the voice of Gabriel, the angel, who told him about the one true
God. After that he was told to preach the truth, and so Islam was founded. After the Israelites left
Egypt they found their way to Mount Sinai. Moses went to the top of the mountain where God
presented him with The Ten Commandments. In all these examples journeying to a mountain
brought about some kind of revelation.
Compared to Science Fiction, and Literature in general, Bradburys use of religion is very
unique. Most writers choose to use western religious representation in their writing, if they
discuss religion at all. Especially within SF, religion has become a way of critiquing society, a
vehicle for some other statement. Bradbury breaks the mold in his use of religion, portraying it as
a genuine and good experience. The fathers learn a Truth because their faith leads them to the
fire balloons. While these stories may appear on the surface to be analogies for western religion
their connection to other eastern religions is equally strong. The blue orbs prophet shares many
traits with Buddha, and their state of being closely resembles the Hindu concept of
enlightenment. Bradbury even describes himself in an interview as Zen Buddhist. The wilderness
and mountains are themes that occur throughout many religions and in Bradburys short stories.
Their depiction brings even more religions into the fold and his stories have an equally strong
connection with all religions

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Works Cited
Bradbury, Ray. Interview by John Blake. "Sci-fi legend Ray Bradbury on God, 'mons." CNN. 2
Aug. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
---. Bradbury, Ray. The Illustrated Man. New York: Bantam, 1951. 42-90. Print.
Hyatt, Leon. "Aaron's roll in the Exodus." Biblical Illustrator Apr. 2010: 61-63. Print.
James, Edward, and Farah Mendelsohn, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction.
New York: Cambridge Group, 2003. Print
Normand, Lawrence, and Alison Winch, eds. Encountering Buddhism in Twentieth-Century
British and American Literature.
Dean, John. The Uses of Wilderness in American Science Fiction Vol. 9, No. 1: SF-TH Inc. Mar.
1982: 68-81. Print
Whalen-Bridge, John, and Storhoff, Gary, eds. SUNY Series in Buddhism and American Culture:
Emergence of Buddhist American Literature. Albany: State University of New York
Press, 2009. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 28 October 2015.
Wilderness. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. 2005. 860. Print.