Summer Assignment Character Analysis- Something Wicked This Way Comes By Ray Bradbury

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Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of the dark fantasy novels which sheds light on the mischievous boyhood experiences of Will and Jim. The author, Ray Bradbury, has depicted the development of the two boys who are about to enter the age of adolescence. He has shown that Will is the more innocent and careful boy who is reluctant of taking the risk, while Jim is carefree and cannot let go of the chance of becoming an adult as soon as possible. The character analysis of the main characters reveals the typical attributes of the growing boys, who want to get more and more from life, by being careless and nervous at the same time.

Will and Jim, being the main characters of the novel draw attention towards them due to their mischievous and adventurous nature. Although Will is more innocent and careful, he never leaves the side of Jim for the sake of saving himself from his adventures. Their friendship, despite the stark contrast of their personalities, is the focal point of the novel. To highlight their dependence and care towards each other, the author has described that,

“So there they go, Jim running slower to stay with Will, Will running faster to stay with Jim, Jim breaking two windows in a haunted house because Will's along, Will breaking one window instead of none, because Jim's watching. God, how we get our fingers in each other's clay. That's friendship, each playing the potter to see what shape we can make of the other. (Bradbury, pg. 8).”

The boys are entering the age of adolescence which means that they are no longer kids and will have to take life and their responsibilities seriously. The carnival is the test of the young boys, in order to check if they are ready to face the outer or practical world or not. The analysis of their characters reveals that Jim is eager to take part in each and every activity without thinking twice about its outcomes. On the other hand, Will is not ready to take the risk and let Jim follow his heart without being careful. Shedding light on the mischievous nature of Jim, which is supported by Will in one or the other way, the author has shared that “Jim slid down the drainpipe on his house, toward the sleeping lawns. “Jim! Wait!” Will thrashed into his clothes. “Jim, don't go alone!” And followed after. (Bradbury, pg. 31-35).”

Over the course of the novel, Will learns to accept the challenges instead of fearing them. He learns that he has to become strong to save his friend and father from the evil forces of the carnival. On the other hand, Jim learns that life cannot progress in the course of few hours or days and he has to make full of it by enjoying it every single day, instead of trying to become adult in seconds. The friendship of Will and Jim also highlights that a person should never compromise on the wellbeing of his/her loved ones (Kusch, 45).

In Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury has highlighted the importance of living the life to its full. The characters reveal that it is quite important to be careful and responsible; however, it does not mean to be coward and endanger the lives of others instead of taking the risk to improve the situation. It gives the lesson that young people should not get trapped by evil but try to negate it, in order to save their loved ones.

Works Cited

Bradbury, Ray. Something Wicked this Way Comes: A Novel. Simon and Schuster, 2017.

Bradbury, Ray. "Something Wicked This Way Comes. 1962." New York: Bantam (1963).

Kusch, Celena. Literary analysis: The basics. Routledge, 2016.