Ray Bradbury first saw the publication of his short story “All Summer in a Day” in the March 1954 issue of “The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.” In the story, children living on the planet Venus eagerly await the cessation of rain and appearance of the sun, an event that only occurs once every seven years. Although the story is short, each character is developed richly and portrayed vividly. Show
The Protagonist: MargotMargot is a delicate and pale child, one who keeps to herself. Having moved to Venus at the age of 4, she can remember life without the constant drumming of raindrops, life with golden sunshine. Because the other children have only memories of Venus and its wet atmosphere, they cannot understand Margot and her longing for a different life. This difference in perspectives creates in Margot an easy target for bullying; it also causes her to remain apart from the other 9-year-olds, giving her an air of loneliness and sadness. The Antagonist: WilliamWilliam is the main bully, the character who might be said to embody the feelings of the rest of the children and the one who goads them on. Acting, perhaps, from a sense of jealousy and the inability to understand Margot, he speaks harshly to her and shoves her, encouraging the other children to treat her in the same hostile manner. Bradbury does not describe William’s physical characteristics, so the character might be understood to be a type for bullies’ actions, not their appearances. The Antagonist’s Support: The ChildrenMargot and William are the only named characters in the story, with the rest of the students in the classroom being referred to en masse as the children. These children are followers; they support William’s actions and don't consider how their actions will affect Margot. Their thoughtlessness doesn’t extend merely to Margot, either. By following William blindly, they don’t consider the impact their actions might have on their own feelings. They are creatures of the moment, and they experience enjoyment and displeasure according to the nature of the strongest stimulus in front of them. The Inaccessible Authority: The TeacherThe teacher is neither named nor described by Bradbury, making her more of a token outside authority than a true part of the children’s world. She performs her teacher’s duties, reprimanding William for being cruel to Margot, but only in a limited capacity; she ultimately doesn’t see or understand what is happening with the children. The children, then, might be seen as governing themselves despite the seeming presence of authority. References Writer Bio Melissa Harr is a writer and knitting pattern designer with a range of publication credits. Her latest work includes blogging for Smudge Yarns, judging fiction for Ink & Insights 2015 and creating patterns for I Like Knitting magazine. Harr holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a CELTA. This story is set on the planet Venus, where the sun shines for only two hours once every seven years. It opens on the day that the sun is due to make its appearance once again. Margot and the other children in her school on Venus are nine years old. Margot came from Earth to Venus five years ago. Therefore she accurately recalls the sun and the way it looked and
felt as it shone on her when she was back in Ohio. However, this is not the case with the other children. They were far too young to remember what the sun was like when last it shone upon them. They can only imagine the warmness of that sun upon their arms and legs. Margot tells the others that the sun is round like a penny and hot like a fire in the stove. The other children accuse her of lying, and they show their resentment of her seeming superiority by locking her in a closet. When the Venus
rains finally stop and the sun comes out, it sends a flaming bronze color throughout the jungle growth. The children soak up the life-giving sunshine until the rains start to fall again. The children now know that Margot was telling the truth about the sun. Then and only then do they remember that Margot is still locked in the closet. Prior to the sun's appearance, the children are described as being so pale that they are almost colorless. The rain has washed the yellow from their hair,
the blue from their eyes, and the red from their lips. The good qualities in their personalities have also seemingly been washed away because the children are quick-tempered and spiteful. That they are cruel by locking Margot in a closet never occurs to them. The sun, however, depicts a restoration for the children. It gives color to their washed-out appearance, and it also enables them to possess new encouragement, strength, and wholeness in their lives. Finally the children remember Margot,
but for her, it is too late — she must wait seven years to see the sun again. What was Margot age in All Summer in a Day?Margot and the other children in her school on Venus are nine years old. Margot came from Earth to Venus five years ago.
How is Margot described in All Summer in a Day?The Protagonist: Margot
Margot is a delicate and pale child, one who keeps to herself. Having moved to Venus at the age of 4, she can remember life without the constant drumming of raindrops, life with golden sunshine.
How old is All Summer in a Day?They were all nine years old, and if there had been a day, seven years ago, when the sun came out for an hour and showed its face to the stunned world, they could not recall.
Who were Margot kids?A girl named Margot came from Earth, and remembers the sun. The other children are angry because she has seen it and they haven't. On the one day the sun comes out they decide to lock her in a closet, and she misses the few minutes of sun. The story demonstrates that children are children, no matter the setting.
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How old is margot in all summer in a day
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