One thing I have had a difficulty with understanding, but is typical for me reading a Ray Bradbury novel, is the vast amount of symbolism Bradbury uses. Also, it is interesting to read about how Bradbury is describing the future, and how incredibly accurate he was; it is kinda spooky. The first thing I want to point out is the tube the doctor uses to pump out Mildred's blood, and replace it with new blood. Instead of saying "they pumped her stomach," Bradbury describes the tube as a long black snake injecting its venom into her. My dad and I were discussing this, and Bradbury could have just been simple about it. However, by using the snake, Bradbury paints a much more elaborate picture in the reader's mind and sets the mood. I could tell by reading that this tube was not necessarily a good thing, and Guy even says how his wife is just an empty shell now. The doctor took out all the bad blood and replaced her insides. Basically, she got a new soul. Bradbury also is describing everything in great detail, which I found is similar to the way Steinbeck wrote. Bradbury truly does paint an image into my head of how the town looks at night, or the way his room looks. One thing I still have not figured out, however, is what The Hound is. I just got to that part, but I am curious as to what it is, and what it symbolizes.
The way Bradbury talks of the future and how accurate he is can be, like I said, spooky. The seashells he describes in Mildred's ears are basically today's iPods. At first I thought it was symbolism for drifting off and dreaming, but I re-read it and discovered that it was our iPods. Also, Mildred is obsessed with the three t.v. screens in her house, and in today's society, we are all constantly on a computer, cell phone, or watching t.v. Therefore, I found it interesting how Bradbury was able to predict the technological advances in technology.
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