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The Theme Of Friendship In Ray Bradbury's The Emissary

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The short story The Emissary from the book The October Country are both written by the famous Ray Bradbury who excels in telling supernatural stories. In these tales Bradbury creates appealing themes. The leading theme in The Emissary is eternal friendship as shown through plot, symbols, and dialogue. Bradbury’s idea of forever lasting friendship is demonstrated through the fascinating actions, or plot of the story. The protagonist, Martin Smith, is a severely sick young boy who leans on his canine, Dog to bring the world to him. An example of eternal friendship shown through plot is Miss Haight’s, Martin’s teacher, company for Martin. This makes Martin feel that he has a true friend. “On Saturday, Sunday and Monday she baked Martin orange-iced cupcakes, brought him library books about dinosaurs and caveman. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday somehow he beat her at dominoes, somehow she lost at checkers, and soon, she cried, he’d defeated her handsomely at chess. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday they talked and never stopped talking,” (Bradbury 4). Martin built a strong bond with Miss Haight doing those activities with her. An indication of a strong friendship shown through plot is Dog’s ability to keep bringing back Miss Haight to Martin. “Most important of all-- he brought back again and again and again-- Miss Haight,” (Bradbury 4). Dog knows that Martin needs Miss Haight’s company, so he insists on bringing her back dead or alive to keep Matin happy. Dog does whatever it takes to keep Martin happy. As considered, plot certainly informs the theme of eternal friendship, but is also shown through the startling symbols Bradbury expresses that guides the reader. Bradbury’s theme of long term friendship is exhibited through symbols in The Emissary. Earlier in the story, Miss Haight is killed in an auto accident just out of town which made martin very depressed and in a death circle. Dog soon runs away for three days to look for and dig up Miss Haight body and soul so Martin can be happy again. When Dog and Miss Haight are gone, Martin gets closer and closer to dying and feels apart from the bond between them. Circles are an example of a symbol that shows lifetime friendship throughout the story mainly with Dog.

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