Questionare

This is a questionare only.

1. In the book Bradbury uses a Lightning Rod sales man to build early suspense. First of all this man came in "storm colored clothes" walking down the street selling lightning rods. He asked the boy's if there parents were home and they said no. Even though the boys didn't have any money he still gave them a lightning rod because he said lightning was defiantly going to hit one of the houses. "Take this free! Why? One of those houses will be stuck by lightning! With out this rod, bang! Fire and ash, roast pork and cinders! Grab!" (Bradbury 7)" This shows that the storm coming was going to be atrocious. However Mr. Fury, the lightning rod sales man wasn't exactly true. A storm was coming but not the type of storm many people would think of. It was rather a storm of evil. When Mr. Fury points to Jim's house being struck he pretty much builds up the suspense of future evil in Jim. Also other then building suspense it also foreshadowed Mr. Fury's disappearance. Mr. Fury was always running away from the storm always one step ahead, he feared it. In this story if you feared something or desired anything you would have been taken in by the evil.

2. Will's father Mr. Halloway is a fifty-five year man who is a janitor at the library in town. He is a very Complex character who changes a lot throughout the whole book. In the beginning he is introduced as a person who doesn't seem like he can help a lot. He cares about his son but in his eyes it seemed like it was almost impossible to connect with him. Mr. Halloway saw his age as being a disadvantage, he believed that he was older then he really was and he really missed being young. When the boys were leaving the library he pondered. "Watching the boys vanish away, Charles Halloway suppressed a sudden urge to run with them, make the pack" (Bradbury 17). Also when he was talking to Will's mom he said "...Will... makes me feel so old... a man should play baseball with his son...." (Bradbury 37). These two examples show how Mr. Halloway desires the want to me young again.

However throughout the book he changes. He initially shows his change when Mr. Dark was searching for the boys the streets. Mr. Halloway kept his cool and when it was the scariest moments that is when Mr. Halloway's new personality had shown through. "Will's father saw the blood ooze from the clenched fists, but forced himself to look only at the Illustrated Man's face, as he saw said sorry I can't be of more help" (Bradbury 177). This shows that he can withstand the pressure given to him. Within minutes the Witch came over. She continuously kept calling Mr. Halloway old, but it seemed like it didn't really him much anymore.

Later that night when Mr. Dark went to the library to find the boy's hiding, Mr. Halloway try's to fight back. "Will's father struck a blow before his left hand was seized, held, squeezed" (Bradbury 221). By trying to fight back this shows that he had gained courage no matter how old he believed he was, he still tried. From here Mr. Halloway kept growing stronger as an individual. He eventually killed the witch, killed Mr. Dark, and revived Jim from death by one simple thing, happiness. Throughout the whole story he had eventually gained happiness and he accepted who he was.

Mr. Halloway's relationship with his son is very similar to the changes he went through by himself. At the beginning of the story Will and his father really don't have much of a relationship. It seems like Will doesn't even know who his father is hardly. "It was a surprise - that old man, his work, his name. That's Charles Halloway thought Will, not grandfather, not far-wandering, ancient uncle, as some might think, but... my father" (Bradbury 14). This shows how Will views his father, it seems as if he knows him but doesn't at all. Also because of Mr. Halloway's insecurities with being old it's hard for him to connect with Will.

Towards the middle of the book when Jim and Will get in trouble for supposable stealing something from Miss Foley, Will and his father start to connect. At first it seemed as if Mr. Halloway was angry but then he told his son that he had snuck out when he was younger. They discussed many things. Mr. Halloway told Will how he felt about being old and Will actually cared. Also Mr. Halloway told Will how he felt about death and Will responded immediately. "Dad, oh, listen! You'll live forever! Believe me, or you're sunk! Sure. You were sick for a few years ago - but that's over. Sure you're fifty-four, but that's young!" (Bradbury 137). This was one of the first times Will told his father how he felt and after this is when Will felt like he could tell his dad almost anything. At the end of this night Will offered his dad to climb up the ivy vines with him. By doing this it made Mr. Halloway kind of feel like a kid again, and also showed that Will knew what his dad desired. From here on Will and his father's relationship kept growing stronger and stronger. If both of these individuals did not connect and form as a team, then they would have never overcome the forces of evil.

3. Will and Jim are complete opposite people. Jim is more like a dark kind of person. From the beginning of the story he shows by not really wanting to put the lighting rod thing unto his house. "Jim, said Will. Don't just stand there. Your house, he said. You going to nail up the rod or ain't you?" (Bradbury 10). Will replied "No, why spoil the fun?" (Bradbury 10). This shows that maybe he doesn't really care much about himself, his house, or maybe even his family. Will however care a lot about everything, and wants Jim to put it up just in case. Another thing that makes these two boys different is that Jim seems so much older then Will with knowledge and such. Will is always so innocent and is so surprised when hearing about evil, and with Jim he seems like he's already seen evil and that he just deal's with it, he lets it just pass by. Bradbury describes both boys very well. "The trouble with Jim was he looked at the world and could not look away. And when you never look away all your life, by the time you are thirteen you have done twenty years taking in the laundry of the world. Will Halloway, it was in him young to always look just beyond, over on to one side. So at thirteen he had saved up only six years of staring. Jim knew every centimeter of his shadow, could have cut it out of tar paper, furled it, and run it up a flagpole - his banner. Will, he was occasionally surprised to see his shadow following him somewhere, but that was that." (Bradbury