“The smiling mask dropped from his face” (1999 The Earth Men)
This quote instantly grasped my attention as I delve through The Martian Chronicles, an epitome of
influential science fiction writing of the last century. Ray Bradbury, in the
earlier part of this chronology, presents the how the Earth people and Martians
first interact with each other. Specifically, the chapter 1999, The Earth Men,
depicts the “Second Expedition” led by Captain Williams. He and his three men,
expect astonishment and significant public commotion as an indication of the
Martians’ attention. However, the residents of the red planet actually
concerned them as insane men, and the quote above is mentioned as Mr. Xxx
executes his “cure” to help the unfortunate earth men.
The most fundamental theme in this chapter and the next is how people of
Earth and Mars misunderstand, assume about and eventually kill each other. For
both expeditions, the Second and Third, Earthlings were brutally murdered. Mr.
Xxx who assumed that the rocket and even the three crew members were
hallucinations, tests his hypothesis by shooting Captain Williams. But since
their existence doesn’t vanish, Mr. Xxx himself turns insane because of the
great shock. Here, the quote above adequately exemplifies the situation. “Smiling
mask” represents the misunderstanding extant between the two races. Once the
mask drops from the Martian’s face, he confronts reality, so daunting and
impermeable. In other words, this quotation forebodes the upcoming intensity of
the change of relationship between the Martians and Earth people, as in the
next chapter, in which the Martians conduct premeditated decimation.
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