“All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury.

 

Summary

“All Summer in a Day” is a short story done in Venus whereby it is raining daily and the sun is not shining more than two hours in every seven years. Margot is a girl, who recalls the sun on earth, she is bullied by her classmates who have never seen it. When the sun finally arrives, they close Margot in a closet, and forget about her. When the sun goes down and the rain starts falling once more, they experience crippling guilt and release her.

 

Characters:

·       Margot – A silent girl, an Earth girl, who has not forgotten the sun.

·       The Teacher -Is in charge of the students on the special day.

·       The Students - Classmates of Margot who are envious of her.

 

Plot Elements:

·       Exposition: Margot and the other students are on Venus, which is only seen by the sun every seven years.

·       Rising Action: The children lock Margot in a closet prior to the appearance of the sun.

·       Climax: The sun comes out at last and the children jump out to play happily.

·       Resolution: The sun sets, it rains, and the children take Margot out and they feel guilty.

 

Analysis

It is a heart-rending story. It demonstrates how jealousy may cause cruelty including children. The other students confine Margot in an asylum since she recalls something they cannot recall the warmth of the sun. When they see the sunshine in its first appearance, they have forgotten her entirely, and this is the way excitement makes people selfish.

The location is significant to the tale. The sunlight appears magic with the constant rain and once it goes away, the children know how serious their actions were. I pitied Margot since she had lost the moment she had been waiting.

Lesson of kindness and empathy is also taught in the story. It makes us remember that when we ostracize somebody due to jealousy, we can hurt them so much. Margot was not at fault, yet she was made to suffer by being a different person. This is why the finale, in which the children open the closet is so emotional as they finally have to realize how heavy their actions were.