Thread: New Leaf July 2018 Discussion • Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
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Old 07-17-2018, 11:15 AM   #40
CRussel
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Quote:
Originally Posted by astrangerhere View Post
I was struck by the overall sense of foreboding in all the stories. At any moment, any one of these pieces could have could have gone completely Hitchcock and it would not have felt out of place. I feel like that connected the stories more clearly and cleanly than anything else. Most of the foreboding seemed to be the inevitable end of summer (childhood?), or for the loss of things one can't hold on to (happiness, young love, youth).

I think the time machine pieces about the old soldier were the most compelling. The boys held him in awe, but his adult caretakers thought he was a doddering old fool. There was a distinct reverence for the elderly by the boys that I also appreciated.

All in all, I am pleased to have read this and found it a nice departure from other Bradbury I have read.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl View Post
The time machine was one of my favorite episodes. I liked that the time machine and the ability to "far-travel" were not accomplished via technology but powered by human interaction. I often wish I could go back in time to when I was a kid and learn more stories like that from relatives who are now long gone.

The happiness machine was also about human interaction in the here and now. I was thinking that TV and the internet became like the happiness machine with the ability to travel anywhere and anytime. And, with social media one can have many friends across the globe. However are you really fulfilled or lonely and unhappy if you don't have face-to-face interaction? I wondered what Bradbury thought about these technologies in comparison to his happiness machine.
I couldn't agree more about the Colonel Freeleigh segment. And this theme recurs with Helen Loomis. Even the older machines are good (the trolley, for example). The compelling part of all three is taking the time to listen, be in the moment, and not always be in a hurry to be somewhere else. The Happiness Machine is the ultimate "now isn't good enough, I need something better/newer/faster" machine and Bradbury's pretty clear about what he thinks about that!

I should note that Bradbury resisted eBooks until 2011, when he finally gave in. I could post innumerable links on the subject, but let's go with The Guardian.
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