February 1999: Ylla

1. February 1999: Ylla • Ylla dreams about a human astronaut – telepathic visions? • Mr. K is probably having an affair, is very controlling, and he kills the astronauts out of jealousy. • Estrangement – when an author creates a scene that is familiar but not identical to the world of the reader/audience. • Abusive relationship = familiar • Martians = estrangement • Martians are very different – skin, hair, houses, etc. • This story also humanizes the Martians – relationships, entertainment, emotions, issues, imperfect understanding of science, etc.

2. August 1999: The Summer Night • Solidifies the notion that Martian telepathy is communicating with humans – Earth songs/poems • Old Mother Hubbard – no reward or recognition on Mars (bare cubbard) • “She Walks In Beauty” – points out the beauty in people/Martians who look different than humans

3. August 1999: The Second Expedition • Martians turn the humans away when they land – they believe the humans are actually crazy Martians. • Mrs. Tttsends them to Mr. Aaa, who sends them to Mr. Iii, who sends them to the asylum. • Mr. Xxx tries to cure them, but believes they are making him hallucinate too – telepathic infection of insanity. • The mentally ill are locked away – just like on earth in 1946.

4. March 2000: The Taxpayer • Taxpayer (Mr. Pritchard) wants to go to Mars to avoid atomic war. • Complains about life on Earth. • Spacemen deny his request and leave without him. • Sets up the reasons humans want to leave Earth.

5. April 2000: The Third Expedition • When they land on Mars they think they have travelled back in time to a small town in Ohio. • The town looks idyllic • The expedition discovers what appear to be long dead loved ones, and spend the night with them. • These are actually Martians using telepathy to make the crew see them as their dead family members. • Martians kill the third expedition – this is the first time the Martians take the human invasion seriously. • This chapter never says it, but this is when the chicken pox has to have arrived on Mars. • Symbolic parallels to the Native Americans killed by Europeans coming to the western hemisphere

6. June 2001: “– and the moon be still as bright.” • 4th expedition lands on Mars and discovers that most Martians are dead. • Spender gets angry and kills crew members because he’s worried that humans will do to Mars what they did to Earth. • Spender is the voice of Bradbury in the novel • This is the climax of the novel. • Here we see the initial effect of human presence on Mars – the unwitting genocide of the Martians.

7. August 2001: The Settlers • Discusses the reasons why humans first went to Mars • Lots of reasons • Would face loneliness – not an easy decision • Not enough on Earth to hold them there\ • Sets up the notion that life on Earth is not all that desirable.

8. December 2001: The Green Morning • Humans need more oxygen on Mars, so planting trees is a solution • This is clear colonization (terraforming) • Trees grew in one night – different soil? (This is not possible, normally) – FANTASY!!! • This chapter talks about “being green” before it was really a cultural concern/discussion. • Faints at the end – not quite suitable for humans, yet.

9. Feb. 2002: The Locusts • People come to Mars, build houses, make it look like Earth. • Title compares people to parasites – locusts arrive in swarms and eat all the vegetation. • Symbolic of how humans are going to treat Mars – Spender’s warning. • Biblical allusion to one of the seven plagues. • Bradbury’s message is that humans need to take better care of their world and other worlds.

10. August 2002: Night Meeting • Story demonstrates how everything has changed on Mars. • Thomas Gomez is driving across Mars headed to a party • Encounters a Martian through some sort of time warp/travel • Thomas sees a dry, dead, ruined city, whereas the Martian sees a live, thriving, beautiful city. • This gives the reader a sense of how much has been lost; how badly the humans have damaged Mars.

11. October 2002: The Shore • Title is a metaphor for the waves of humans coming to Mars • 1st men – tough, can deal with bad conditions, rural, blue collar, setting the world up for the next wave. • 1st women - prostitutes • 2nd wave • – came from America b/c they are the only ones who could afford to send people • - came from cabbage tenements (poor, urban folks) • For them, Mars was a salvation from a terrible life on Earth

12. February 2003: The Interim • More settlements on Mars – making it more like Earth • Homes • Church/religion

13. April 2003: The Musicians • Children go into a dead Martian town, and mess with the bones of dead Martians. – playing music with the bones. • Parents get angry – scared of disease • Firemen come in and burn the dead bodies – this is an idea that begins to form into Fahrenheit 451. • This is also a clear allusion to the atrocities of Nazi Germany.

14. June 2003: Way in the Middle of the Air • African Americans want to move to Mars to avoid prejudice • Saved $$$ • Built rockets • Left suddenly, whites wanted to prevent it, but couldn’t. • Samuel Teece • Main character • mean to his wife and to the black man who works for him

15. June 2003: Way in the Middle of the Air • Mr. Teece is left by himself, the South is now empty because of African Americans immigrating to Mars

16. 2004-2005 • Martians named places after people they have killed. • Humans brought rules, regulation and their customs to Mars, destroying Mars. • The upper class came to Mars for the “atmosphere”. • Humans also came to apply sociological laws. • The Martian names were named after rivers and mountains.

17. April 2005, Usher II • Builds a home based on works by Edgar Allen Poe • Garrett wants to burn the building, Stendall wants to keep it because of the books • Robot ape kills Garrett, sent by Stendall, Garrett is a robot and comes to Stendall in person at the party. • Invites politicians to his home, then kills them off • Each death alludes to a story by Edgar Allen Poe • Garrett is locked in the basement and is killed when the house burns.

18. August 2005: The Old Ones • Old people coming to Mars because it’s new and more interesting compared to lives on Earth • Easier to colonize and live on Mars

19. September 2005: The Martian • Lafe leaves the door unlock and finds Tom, his son • Questions why Tom was there; he was dead • Tom flees when questioned • Lafe’s brother saw this guy from Earth killed, he went to the Police Station and asked to arrest himself. They refused, so he decides to shoot himself • Tom returns before his brother died, Lafe’s wife decides to go out • When they enter the festival, they lose Tom. They learn about Mr and MrsSpauaing and learns about how their daughter was killed • They see her and learns about where Tom escapes to. Tom is actually a Martian, so Lafe talks to the Martian to persuade him to return as Tom • The Martian agrees, but the Spauaing family chases him, the crowed watches the Martian and begin to think about their dead loved-ones • The Martian is overloaded and melts

20. November 2005: The Luggage Store • Sets up the war on Earth, compares it to past wars

21. November 2005: The Off Season • Sam Parkhill sets up a hot dog stand on Mars • He was one of the crew on the 4th expedition with Spender • He’s expecting lots of business, but the war on Earth happens, and no one else comes to Mars. • Gets a visit from Martians who want to give him the deed to half of Mars – this shows that Martians are giving up, and humans are now in control. • Parkhill is a symbol of human abuse and fear towards Martians – prejudice!

22. November 2005: The Watchers • People on Mars see Earth explode/catch fire in nuclear war • “Come home, come home, come home” – Mars still isn’t “home” • People flee Mars and go back to Earth

23. December 2005: The Silent Towns • Walter Gripp • Lives alone – miner, but travels to town occasionally to look for a spouse. • Anti-social • Genevieve Selsor • Not pretty. Heavy, ugly hair, too much makeup and perfume, clownish. • Bitter because no one liked her. So she stayed on Mars to avoid people. • She attempts to seduce him • SciFi meme – last people left alive, plus Adam and Eve, presented ironically.

24. April 2026: The Silent Towns • Hathaway burns New New York to attract the attention of the approaching rocket • Capt. Baldwin and Hathaway both from 4th expedition • Hathaway invites crew into his house – where they discover that Hathaway has made robot copies of his dead family members. • When Hathaway dies, the robots live on. • At what point are robots alive? Wilder also saw the value of Martian life and culture in an earlier chapter.

25. August 2026: There will come soft rains • Takes place on Earth in an automated house • Family died in the recent atomic war, but the house and dog survived • House burns down, in spite of trying to save itself • The house functions as the main character – what is a character?

26. October 2026: The Million Year Picnic • Human family going to Mars because Earth is no longer habitable • Their plan is to create a new human civilization on Mars • Spender’s worst fear has come true – humans are the new Martians, and the old Martian culture is gone.