Imagine living without ever even seeing the sun, or being able to enjoy the warmth of the sun again. In the short science fiction story written by Ray Bradbury “All Summer in a Day” is about a group of students that live underground on the planet Venus, where it's only gushing rain and the sun is rarely even seen. Margot is a 9-year-old who used to live on earth when she was 4, Margot cherished the moments when she would see the sun, she wishes she could go back to her life on earth. Every child on Venus has never seen the sun once, except for Margot. Until scientists predicted the sun will come out for 1 hour every 7 years Margot got so excited. Unlike everyone else that lives underground, Margot has real memories of the sun, this makes the other students jealous because they yearn for the feeling and seeing the sun. Finally, the exciting day comes and Margot and the other students get to see the sun.
The jealousy in all these students leads to them to do a terrible thing, they end up locking her in a closet with no chance of seeing the sun. After the kids play in the sun for an hour they remember she’s in the closet still and they let her out. Margot leaves and doesn’t say a word. This shows how people's desire and jealousy can lead to terrible actions as if it's a lighter to a match. Ray Bradbury gives us an insight into how Margot is treated on a casual day with her classmates. Before the sun came out, the teacher asked the students to write poems about the sun and when Margot read “I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour.”(R.B). Margot feels as if her happiness depends on the sun. Later Margot’s refers to the sun to a penny, “'It’s like a fire,' she said, 'in the stove.'”(R.B) but and her classmates don’t believe her.
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The jealous classmates of Margot believe they are lies about the sun, they start to push her around and tease her for she has to say about the sun. The antagonist, the boys in her class start to take this teasing to an extreme level. Just before the sun comes out to set, William continues to tell her how she’s wrong and the sun won’t show. The boys started planning a resentful act on her where they go so far as to lock her in a closet. “‘Hey, everyone, let’s put her in a closet before the teacher comes !’”(R.B.) Margot refused she wanted to see the sun, she has waited too long, but they shoved her in the pitch dark closet and locked the door. “They stood looking at the door and saw it tremble from her beating and throwing herself against it”(R.B) The kids knew how much it meant to her but with this information they decided to rob the happiness she could’ve had again with experiencing the sun, just as they have all felt for the past 9 years.
They unlocked the door, even more slowly, and let Margot out. They left her sitting in a room all by herself. she comes out not saying a word. They simply let their pride get in the way and robbed her and with this, they felt as if they were getting back at her This shows how her classmates' horrid actions are driven by jealousy and cost her happiness of seeing the sun again. In the short story, the author lets the reader envision the misery Margot has gone through, but he also gives us a good understanding of the children in Margot’s class. Despite their cruel actions their resent towards Margot was logical. Frankly, she had anything any living being, that had lived on Venus their whole life would dream of having; she had experienced the sun and has the chance to go back to earth if their family could afford to pay. “She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost.”(R.B) Bradbury describes her. She’s seen as someone who is an easy target and easily pushed around.
Margot is a sensitive and delicate person because of her weakness for the lust to feel the sun again. Margot having all these emotions and her class giving her a hard time is just more weight she has to carry on her shoulders. “All Summer in a Day” Ray Bradbury created, Margot, the protagonist to help the reader connect and feel for her in the story; while still being relatable to everyday people and their problems of getting jealous. Bradbury uses a few significant symbols in this short story, the rain, and the sun. The rain represents the classic moments in life, while the sun represents the special moments we have in life. This shows we shouldn't take things for granted Her having a memory and an opportunity to feel the sun again they felt as if they had no significance compared to her. ultimately this story shows how “jealousy is led by more than just animosity” the overall theme. We shouldn't let our pride get in the way of anyone living life to the fullest, which is the lesson being taught across.
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