125 pages • 4 hours read
Ray BradburyThe Martian Chronicles
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1950A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Summary
“January 1999: Rocket Summer”
“February 1999: Ylla”
“August 1999: The Summer Night”
“August 1999: The Earth Men”
“March 2000: The Taxpayer”
“April 2000: The Third Expedition”
“June 2001: —And the Moon Be Still as Bright”
“August 2001: The Settlers”
“December 2001: The Green Morning”
“February 2002: The Locusts”
“August 2002: Night Meeting”
“October 2002: The Shore”
“February 2003: Interim”
“April 2003: The Musicians”
“June 2003: Way in the Middle Air”
“2004-2005: The Naming of Names”
“April 2005: Usher II”
“August 2005: The Old Ones”
“September 2005: The Martian”
“November 2005: The Luggage Store”
“November 2005: The Off Season”
“November 2005: The Watchers”
“December 2005: The Silent Towns”
“April 2026: The Long Years”
“August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains”
“October 2026: The Million-Year Picnic”
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
“November 2005: The Luggage Store”
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
“November 2005: The Luggage Store” Summary
When news reaches Mars about an impending war on Earth, an unnamed proprietor of a luggage store readies his stock, believing there will soon be an exodus back to Earth. A priest named Father Peregrine is passing time with the Proprietor, and they first discuss the strangeness of news from a distant planet. Peregrine compares it to hearing news of war in China as a child, having to stretch belief to imagine something so unseen. The Proprietor expresses his belief that most people will abandon Mars to help their families on Earth, despite having left the planet due to “politics, the atom bomb, war, pressure groups, prejudice, laws” (175-76). Father Peregrine agrees and purchases new luggage from the man.
“November 2005: The Luggage Store” Analysis
Father Peregrine explores an aspect of human belief in his relation of the new of war on Earth with news of war in China during his boyhood. He suggests that distance mitigates emotional and rational connection while unsettling the process of belief, and he questions the role of faith and belief.
Peregrine asks how the settlers of Mars can resurrect enough belief in Earth to return to its war-ravaged surface. The Proprietor’s answer is simple: human connection.
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