Happiness In Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes

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In Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury illustrates the power of happiness to change one’s mental state and ultimately; life. He does so by creating troubled and aging characters who alter their self-fulfillment simply by smiling. He also includes scenarios where the only way to survive is by refusing to show weakness. The happiness in this novel prevails the evil and negativity surrounding the characters by filling their hearts with warmth and their mouths with smiles. To begin, the character Charles Halloway is a miserable man who feels that he is of no use to his son or the world. Yet, when the carnival begins terrorizing his son Will, Charles feels something; the need to help. Charles first gathers Will and his Will’s friend Jim to discuss what is keeping the evil autumn people alive. On page 201, Charles tells the boys: “‘All the meanness we harbor, they borrow in redoubled spades. They’re a billion times itchier for pain, sorrow, and sickness than the average man. We salt our lives with others …show more content…

Dark after realizing that Charles is using a smile to stop him and his army of evil. The carnival people, who were thriving off Charles's misery are weakening. In these moments, Charles decides to be happy so that he can save himself. On page 258, Ray Bradbury show’s us Charles moment of freedom while he sees himself in different stages of his life. This moment is described as: “For only a moment long he looked at all of themselves, at Will. A small sound escaped his mouth. A little larger sound escaped his mouth….He opened his mouth very wide, and let the loudest sound of all free. The Witch, if she were alive, would have known that sound, and died again.” This quote shows the reader how happiness is keeping Charles alive and strong. His sound that he is making is laughter and it is resonating throughout his entire body. He is now capable enough of not letting the Carnival people take

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