The short story “Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed” by Ray Bradbury, the reader is taken into the new life of the Bittering family, who immigrate to Mars in order to survive a nuclear war on Earth. Mr. Bittering, also known as Harry, is the most resistant and uneasy about their new home they begin to build. When the news hit that there was no possible way for them to return, Mr. Bittering becomes more tense. Over time, he starts to notice the change in the plants from their garden, the appearance of his children and wife, as well as a new language they develop. Harry’s immediate solution was to build his own rocket back to Earth. As he continuous to build the rocket, more changes and adaptations begin to occur. As the summer comes around, the Bittering family convinces Harry to leave his rocket and their home, never returning again. Five years later, when the nuclear war has come to an end, a rocket containing a Captain and team arrive to bring the Bittering family home, only find martians.

 

a) Exposition:
– Quote: “He picked up luggage in his cold hands. ‘Here we go,’ he said- a man standing on the edge of a sea, ready to wade and be drowned. They walked into town”(Bradbury 1).
– Explanation: Here, the reader is introduced to then Bittering family who are moving to Mars as there has been a nuclear war on Earth. Harry, the father, is nervous and uneasy for their new life on an empty planet.

b) Rising Action Example #1
– Quote: “Mr Bittering hesitated, and then raised the mirror to his face. There were little, very dim flecks of new gold captured in the blue of his eyes” (Bradbury 6).
– Explanation: Mr. Bittering begins to find himself physically changing. He does not know how or why he and his family are slowly turning into martians, he is the only one noticing and resists these changes.

c)Rising Action Example #2
– Quote: A strange word emerged from Mr Bittering’s lips. ‘Iorrt. Iorrt.’ He repeated it. It was a Martian word. He knew no Martian” (Bradbury 7).
– Explanation: Mr. Bittering is seeing not only changes with his family but also changes with himself, he starts changing physically and getting internal changes, for example, the language .

d) Climax
– Quote: “Yes,’ he said, feeling his flesh melt in the hot liquid air. ‘Yes, in the autumn. I’ll begin work again then’”(Bradbury 10).
– Explanation: Mr. Bittering finally stopped resisting and gave in to his new life on Mars. He gave up on his rocket, his only hope in getting home was no longer his number one priority. He decides to leave it for the autumn but never returns.

e) Falling Action
– Quote: “Looking at the small white cottage for a long moment, he was filled with a desire to rush to it, touch it, say goodbye to it, for he felt as if he were going away on a long journey, leaving something to which he could never quite return, never understand again”(Bradbury 11).
– Explanation: Mr. Bittering has given up and made his decision to stop working on the rocket. His family and now Harry gave into their new life, as martians. He was officially done fighting his urge to leave and the Bittering family moved away from their newly built home.

f) Denouement (conclusion)
– Quote: “‘The town’s empty, but we found native life in the hills, sir. Dark people. Yellow eyes. Martians”(Bradbury 11).
– Explanation: A Captain and Lieutenant from earth have come to rescue the Bittering family and other humans to bring them back to earth, since the nuclear war has come to an end. As they come to Mars, all they seem to find are martians. They believe the humans have disappeared and they have just stumbled upon a group of aliens, never knowing what happened to the Bitterings. The humans start naming the town just like the family did in the beggining of the story.

g) Physical Setting
– Quote: “The nights were full of wind that blew down the empty moonlit sea-meadows past the little white chess cities lying for their twelve-thousandth year in the shallows”(Bradbury 6).
– Explanation: There had been lots of empty land on mars, with countrysides and canals. The Bittering’s decide to build a house in the countryside with a farm. They can still see the abandoned Martian city in the distance, now completely empty.

h) Emotional Setting
– Quote: “The wind blew, whining. At any moment the Martian air might draw his soul from him, as marrow comes from a white bone”(Bradbury 1).
– Explanation: The atmosphere and vibe of Mars had been eerie, making the family uncomfortable and uneasy about their big move. Mr. Bittering feels as though the old Martian environment is not a good place for him and his family and has a bad feeling about the new planet.

i) Conflict Type
– Quote: “Alone, thought Bittering. Only a thousand of us here. No way back. No way. No way. Sweat poured from his face and his hands and his body; he was drenched in the hotness of his fear”(Bradbury 3).
– Explanation: The conflict Mr. Bittering faces is person vs environment. As soon as the Bittering’s move to Mars their environment causes them to change, eventually into Martians. His wife and children are open to these changes, on the other hand, Mr. Bittering is resistant and refuses to accept this new lifestyle.

j) Ending type
– Quote: “‘We’ll go back to town maybe next year, or the year after, or the year after that,’ he said, calmly”(Bradbury 11).
– Explanation: Mr. Bittering decides to leave his rocket, accepting the fact they are stuck on Mars and have started a new life. The reader does not expect him to give up on his hard work and only way to escape from Mars, giving the story a surprise/twist ending.

k) Irony Example
– Quote: “‘Perhaps. I suppose this is one of those mysteries we’ll never solve. One of those mysteries you read about’”(Bradbury 12).
– Explanation: The fact the reader knows what happened and the characters do not, is an example of dramatic irony, the reader knows what has happened to the Bittering family but the others do not. They turn into martians and move away from their newly built home, when the Captain and Lieutenant from earth and believe they had died or disappeared.

l) Suspense
– Quote: “’Simpson, what does the word “Iorrt” mean?’ ‘Why that’s the old Martian word for our planet Earth. Why?’ ‘No special reason.’ The telephone slipped from his hand. ‘Hello, hello, hello, hello,’ it kept saying while he sat gazing out at the green star. ‘Bittering? Harry, are you there?’”(Bradbury 7).
– Explanation: The suspense used in the story is keeping the stakes high for Mr. Bittering. He feels he must build a rocket back to earth and resists all the changes him and his family are facing. The reader is wondering if he will complete his rocket, get back to earth, or keep resisting the occurring changes?

m) Characterization Example
– Quote: “in a mountain stream, being washed away. We don’t belong here. We’re Earth people. This is Mars. It was meant for Martians. For heaven’s sake, Cora, let’s buy tickets for home!’”(Bradbury 2).
– Explanation: Mr . Bittering’s fast, nervous, words, indirectly show us he is a stressed man, he is not happy about his new life on mars and wants to go home. The reader sees how he is a man who overthinks, is not very calm in situations and is anxious.