52 pages 1 hour read

Ray Bradbury

There Will Come Soft Rains

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1950

A 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.

Symbols & Motifs

Animals

Animals, both literal and figurative, are present throughout the story. The first animals introduced are the robot mice that clean the house. They are joined by rats, which have a similar function. In the nursery, robotic bugs crawl along the floor, and the crystal walls are filled with images of “yellow giraffes, blue lions, pink antelopes, and lilac panthers” (251).

While the house is full of robots and images in the shape of animals, its doors and windows are tightly barred against living animals such as foxes, cats, and sparrows. There is a difference in the way the house treats these wild or feral animals compared to the artificial “animals” that reside within. The dog exists at the border of the two, able to enter the house but unable to partake in or benefit from its functions without humans present. It symbolizes humanity’s failure to coexist with nature.

Cleaning

The house cleans itself obsessively, announcing the first appearance of the robotic cleaning mice at 9:15 a.m. The mice and rats appear regularly thereafter, sweeping up after the dog when it enters the house and later joining the fight against

Related Titles

By Ray Bradbury

SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Ray Bradbury
Guide cover image