Marcian Chronicles Recension
Martian Chronicles, whose original title is The Martian Chronicles, is a book by the American author Ray Bradbury, where we are told the arrival of humans to the red planet, Mars, and their colonization. The book is structured as a chronologically ordered stories from January 1999 to October 2026, but without a linear plot thread.
Published in 1950, Martian Chronicles is, together with Fahrenheit 451 (titled Thus as the temperature at which the books burn) one of the most recognized books of the author. In this book such important issues are discussed as the impulse of self-destruction of man, war, discrimination, and the absolutely small thing that is the human being in the universe.
After graduating in Secondary in 1938, Bradbury earned a living selling newspapers until 1942. It will be in that year when he begins to devote himself full time to write, publishing this book in 1950, a work that gave him literary fame.
In the pages of this book the attempts of the lands are related to colonize the planet Mars and the reality that existed in the American society of the fifties of the fifties is shown.
Martians, having telepathic powers cause great setbacks to humans of the different expeditions. Especially in the first three expeditions. In the first, the Martian Ylla dreams of the arrival of two astronauts, who will subsequently murder her husband. In the second, the Martians guide the human crew to a house where they are locked up, until they are killed by a psychiatrist next to their ship that, after verifying that what he thought were hallucinations do not disappear, suicide. And already in the third expedition, the Martians are prepared to "fight" humans, because they are waiting for them in the form of an American people inhabited by their most beloved beings, until they are killed while they sleep.
Next, the colonization of Mars is developed, which brings to the planet the most negative behaviors of land culture. Only a man who retains the essences of his indigenous culture, manages to establish authentic communication with a Martian. Humans have degraded to such an extent the native civilization that in one of the stories a Martian uses his telepathic powers to entertain the new masters adopting the personalities that request him. Also American people, treated as slaves or servants, flee to establish settlements on the red planet. Finally, Mars almost laughed because a war threat on Earth makes the settlers return. The few who remain on Mars become the ‘new’ Martians.
As a curiosity, Sam Weller, the authorized biographer of Bradbury, discovered that there are four chapters that were not included in the final version of Martian Chronicles: They All Had Grandfathers, The Disease, The Fathers, and The Wheel.
Understanding by Sociology the systematic and critical study of society, we find that the sociological perspective discovers the general in particular, that is, we must be able to see the guidelines of social life in concrete examples; And how society can influence our lives, since people tend to think more individualist. But recognizing the impact of our society on our lives, initially it is equivalent to seeing the strange in the familiar. This means that things are not what they seem, but that you have to see how society influences us. A clear example today, is the university. It is enough with a simple look at the classrooms, we will appreciate that most are young people between 18 and 24 years old, because in our society it is associated to university at these ages.
Socially marginalized people better perceive to what extent society can condition their lives. It is true that we all experience a certain degree of social marginalization throughout our lives, however, for some people the feeling of social marginalization is part of their daily lives.
In this way, those most susceptible to being relegated to social margins, are usually more aware of the social guidelines that are assumed or never questioned. A good example of this situation is found in this book, when white Americans prevent him from all means to leave his color servants to Mars. In the end, they will leave disobeying these orders.
Use the sociological perspective helps us in four ways. First, it challenges our family understanding of the world. Second, it helps us appreciate the opportunities and limitations that condition our lives. Third, we encourage us to participate in society. And ultimately and fourth, our awareness of social diversity increases.
Just as sociology helps us, there is also three difficulties. Societies are in continuous change. We ourselves are part of the societies we study, the sociologist is part of his research. And, sociology itself becomes part of society, that is, sociological ideas and research end up being part of the knowledge of society.
That said, Bradbury treats Mars as an escape for humans, as a metaphor for the problems of the reality of his time. The actions carried out on the red planet are constant terrestrial references, with links that can only be given on our planet, on Earth.
Martian Chronicles tells us the stories of the first interplanetary expeditions that, after trying to impose themselves on the Martians, end up dying from the weight of their missions. We are also told stories where there is a clear reflection of the individualism of the terrestrial society, where each one looks only by himself; stories of personal failure and as a society; loneliness stories like Mr. Gripp on Mars. Stories that make us rethink what we are able to do, and what we did.
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