The Martian story
A couple living on Mars encounter their dead son, with very mixed reactions. Directed by: Anne Wheeler. Story by: Ray Bradbury.
11 total · 2 choice · 7 major · 2 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| coping with the death of a child | choice | La Farge and Anna were struggling with having lost their son, Tom, some 5 years prior. They kept a photo of Tom on their bedroom dresser as a constant reminder of him. Imagine their surprise when Tom showed up at their home in the middle of the night. |
| what if someone I knew returned from the dead | choice | La Farge and Anna were astonished when their son, Tom, who'd been dead for 5 years, returned home in the middle of the night. Anna was overjoyed and welcomed Tom without question. La Farge immediately came to suspect that something was amiss. |
| colonization of Mars | major | The story takes place on Mars in a small colony that resembled a stereotypical Midwestern United States town. |
| father and son | major | La Farge was reunited with his long-dead son, Tom. |
| husband and wife | major | The story turns on a presumably married couple being reunited with their long-dead son. |
| letting go of the past | major | Anna had trouble moving on from Tom's death. This made her susceptible to believe that the alien masquerading as Tom was in fact the real article. |
| Martian extraterrestrial | major | The story concerns a telepathic Martian that manifested itself, willingly or unwillingly, as the dearly departed children of various human colonists of the Red Planet. |
| mother and son | major | Anna was reunited with her long-dead son, Tom. |
| telepathic ability | major | The story is premised on the idea that Martians are telepathic and can appear in the guise of people we long to see. |
| creative writing | minor | In the introduction, Ray Bradbury shared with the viewer the wellsprings of creativity that inspire his writing. |