All Summer in a Day – Literary Analysis

Setting

All Summer in a Day takes place in the distant future, in and around a school complex for the children of men and women sent from Earth to set up civilization and live on the planet Venus. Two aspects of the setting are not explained:

Why is the school built at least partially above the ground (the children were crushed in the great thick windows) when the rest of the city is apparently located underground? One benefit of having the school partially above ground is that, in viewing the outside world through the children’s eyes, Bradbury is able to contrast the wild, tempestuous surface of the planet with their safe, orderly inside existence; and
Why is it that as well as attending classes at the school, the children also appear to have to sleep there? Sometimes, at night, she (Margot) heard them (the other children) stir, …and she knew they were dreaming and remembering. This emphasizes the sense of isolation that Margot must have been feeling. She is not only cut off from the world she loved, but also from her family.

Point of View and Tone

The story is told in the third person by an omniscient narrator. For the most part the tone is objective and non-judgmental; the narrator is reporting the facts and conversations as he/she observes them. An exception is his/her observations about Margot, which are generally sympathetic.

Themes

The major themes of the story are adaptability, envy, reaction to differences, and bullying.

The children born on Venus had adapted to life in the underground city; to them it is normal. For Margot, who had experienced life in the open air and almost daily sunshine of Earth, Venus was proving impossible to adapt to.

The other children were jealous of Margot. Not only had she experienced life on Earth, but it was said that her parents were taking her back to live there the following year. The other settlers (and presumably their children) were expected to live out their lives on Venus. It may be that Margot’s parents were in some sort of privileged position, but in any event she would enjoy a future that the other children could only dream of.

Margot’s life on Venus had affected her physically (She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away…) and mentally (…she had refused to shower in the school shower rooms, had clutched her hands to her ears and over her head, screaming the water mustn’t touch her head.) Margot’s means of coping was to dissociate from the other children and a number of school activities. The other children may have had trouble dealing with this and responded by dissociating from Margot as well: …dimly, dimly, she sensed it, she was different, and they knew her difference and kept away.

The above sentence from the story leads to some intriguing questions about the “differences” referred to. Could the actions of the children be a result of something more sinister than jealousy or Margot’s distancing. Could they reflect something akin to racism? If born on the planet, the other children may consider themselves to be Venetian. Margot was born on Earth, and perhaps to them an “alien” with a different background and set of cultural experiences. Or alternatively, having experienced life on Earth, did Margot somehow consider herself “superior” to the other children and resent having to live and sleep among them.

The bullying incident, where Margot is locked in a closet and therefore unable to see the sun, leads to some chilling concluding sentences: They (the other children) walked over to the closet door slowly and stood by it. Behind the closet door was only silence. They unlocked the door, even more slowly, and let Margot out. As we read these final words we are left wondering what effect the ordeal may have had on Margot. Is she seething with rage and about to lash out, or perhaps so traumatized that she will never be the same again.

The children’s age is significant here. At 9 years old they are young enough to be easily led by the likes of William but, as we can see from their collective reaction when they realize they have left Margot locked in the closet, old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. Had any of the other children had the compassion and courage to speak out against William when he started to bully Margot, the ending of the story could have been very different for her. Perhaps Bradbury was trying to pass on a message here.

Characters and Conflict

The Protagonist: Margot, the only character in the story that is reasonably well developed by the author.
The Antagonist: It could be said that there are two story-lines in All Summer in a Day. The first involves the children’s desire to experience the Sun, in which case the antagonist is the Venetian climate. The second involves Margot’s struggle to adapt to life on the planet and strong desire to see the Sun again, in which case the antagonist is William.
The Minor characters: 1. The other children: On the one hand, innocently and excitedly waiting for the Sun. On the other, instruments of William’s bullying. 2. The teacher: Apparently insensitive to Margot’s problems, absent from class at a critical time, and negligent in not accounting for all the children as she lets them outside and they return after the brief “summer”.
Internal Conflict: Margot’s struggle within herself in dealing with life on Venus and fitting in with the other children.
External Conflict: 1. The settler’s efforts to survive in the hostile Venetian climate. (Man vs. Nature) 2. Margot’s conflict with William and the other children. They have dissociated from each other because of perceived differences. Margot won’t join in the other children’s games and they don’t believe her when she attempts to describe the sun at school. (Man vs. Society)

Dramatic Structure and Mood

Exposition: The teacher and children’s excited initial conversation, followed by the graphic description of the Venetian climate. Mood – expectant.
Rising Action: Description of Margot’s problems in getting used to life on Venus and interacting with the other children, leading up to the bullying incident. Mood – disturbing.
Climax: Margot is locked in the closet as the other children go outside and revel in the sunshine. Mood – sympathy for Margot; excitement for the other children.
Falling Action: The rain returns in the form of a giant storm and the children rush inside. Mood – disappointment.
Denouement: The children remember Margot and release her from the closet. Mood – concern and uncertainty about what will happen next.

Examples of Literary Techniques

Bradbury often makes extensive (some might even say excessive) use of descriptive elements in his stories. This one is no exception!

Imagery: All Summer in a Day contains many powerful examples of imagery. Bradbury’s vivid description of the Venetian climate at the beginning of the story successfully sets the scene and overall mood of the story; life on Venus can be difficult and unsettling. Three other examples of imagery worthy of note are those used to introduce, describe and close the brief summer. When the rain stopped, we have a wonderful set of images describing a silence so intense that the children put their hands to their ears. We then have images of how the jungle grew and never stopped growing as the children enjoyed the sunshine. Finally, as the summer ends, we have images of a storm so violent that, like leaves before a new hurricane, they (the children) tumbled upon each other and ran.
Hyperbole: 1. a coin large enough to buy the world with. 2. The world ground to a standstill.
Irony: Experiencing the Sun would have been a novelty for the other children. However, seeing the Sun again meant much more to Margot she turned and looked at him (William). And what she was waiting for was in her eyes. Ironically, she is locked in a (presumably dark) closet and is the only one to miss seeing the Sun. (Situational)
Metaphor: 1. Margot’s poem: I think the sun is a flower that blooms for just one hour. 2. This powerful image of the effect of sunlight on the jungle: It was a nest of octopuses, clustering up great arms of flesh-like weed, wavering, flowering in this brief spring.
Personification: 1. the sun came out for an hour and showed its face to the stunned world. 2. They stood looking at the door and saw it tremble.
Repetition: 1. these children who could never remember a time when there wasn’t rain and rain and rain. (vocative diacope) 2. the world that was raining now and raining and raining steadily. (elaborative diacope)
Simile: 1. The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun. 2. Then, wildly, like animals escaped from their caves, they ran and ran in shouting circles.
Symbolism: 1. The Sun is a symbol for all the important things in life that we take for granted. Margot comments that the Sun is like a penny, the lowest value coin that few people would stop to pick up if they saw one on the street. It is not until you lose someone or something important that you took for granted that you realize how precious they or it really were. 2. Margot is a symbol for all the people in the world who are victimized or discriminated against, simply because they are “different”.

The Future

Some critics suggest that the story title, All Summer in a Day, is a metaphor for some sort of “coming of age” event where the children realize the error of their ways and will begin to treat Margot with more understanding and respect. Any such interpretation is up to the reader, but to me the children’s reactions after realizing that Margot was still in the closet are more akin to guilt, knowing that they are likely to be punished, than true sorrow for their actions.