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Ray BradburyA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Summary
“January 1999: Rocket Summer”
“February 1999: Ylla”
“August 1999: The Summer Night”
“August 1999: The Earth Men”
“March 2000: The Taxpayer”
“April 2000: The Third Expedition”
“June 2001: —And the Moon Be Still as Bright”
“August 2001: The Settlers”
“December 2001: The Green Morning”
“February 2002: The Locusts”
“August 2002: Night Meeting”
“October 2002: The Shore”
“February 2003: Interim”
“April 2003: The Musicians”
“June 2003: Way in the Middle Air”
“2004-2005: The Naming of Names”
“April 2005: Usher II”
“August 2005: The Old Ones”
“September 2005: The Martian”
“November 2005: The Luggage Store”
“November 2005: The Off Season”
“November 2005: The Watchers”
“December 2005: The Silent Towns”
“April 2026: The Long Years”
“August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains”
“October 2026: The Million-Year Picnic”
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Set on Mars during the ascendant age of Martian culture, the story closely follows the Martian woman Ylla, who is married to Yll. They live near a dried seabed, in an opulent house “which turned and followed the sun, flower-like” (2) where their ancestors had lived for 10 centuries. Their marriage has descended into monotony. Despite the wonders of their technology and the effortlessness of their lives, neither is happy, and Ylla recognizes that “marriage made people old and familiar, while still young” (3).
Ylla has prophetic dreams in which a rocket lands on Mars and a man from Earth, Captain Nathaniel York, appears and speaks with her. Yll is dismissive of her dream and later grows angry with her for singing a song she heard in her dream—"Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes.”
In the next few days, Yll attempts to resume their normal lives, but Ylla’s focus returns to her recurring dream of York. When she speaks aloud as she is dreaming, Yll learns that Ylla is flirting with York in her dream and that she is aware of the time and location of the ship’s landing. Incensed, Yll commands Ylla to stay home on the date of the landing while he leaves to hunt.
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