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Anthony Om
Ms. Ingram
English 1 Honors
13 November 2015
Character Influence
Some people think that most influences come from friends, family and television. But the
presence of evil can influence others around it. But when the definition of evil tricks and trap
people to fuel their carnival of pain and suffering, there is no way one can imagine the influence
it can have on people, that evil is Mr. Dark. In Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray
Bradbury Mr. Dark the ringleader of this wicked carnival comes to a small town to seek out its
inhabitants. Mr. Dark is a negative influence on the other characters because he is cruel to others,
how he makes people feel around him, and he also manipulates people.
Mr. Dark is a negative influence to others because he is cruel to others. While hunting for
Jim and Will, Mr. Dark comes across Wills father who does not cooperate when asked about the
location of Jim and Will. Mr. Dark becomes frustrated and then cuts at his voodoo doll like tattoo
of Jim and Will causing them to bleed. Frustrated, Mr. Dark clenched his two calligraphic
fistsdigging nails, inside which two boys faces, [was] crushed (Bradbury 177). Mr. Darks
painful actions towards those who oppose him shows the cruel personality of Mr. Dark. Mr. Dark
is extremely focused to finding Jim and Will, to the point that he is going to punish them every
time someone tries to protect Jim and Will. Also Mr. Dark knows that Jim and Will are going to
run and hide, so every time Jim and Will think that they are safe Mr. Dark is going to remind the
boys with pain. The brutal behaviour of Mr. Dark clearly demonstrates his cruel personality
towards others. Another example of his cruel personality is that when Charles Holloway, The

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father of Will, tries to protect Jim and Will by throwing a punch at Mr. Dark, but Mr. Dark grabs
Charles Holloways hand and crushed it like slamming a sledgehammer on a egg. Rendering
Charles unable to protect Jim and Will and takes the boys to the carnival. The notable need that
Mr. Dark shows to end his little game with Jim and Will takes an extreme turn to the worst
when Mr. Dark decides to end it by charging at them for the kill. Showing no remorse as he
crushes Charless hand and leaves him for the Dust Witch and takes the boys to carnival to finish
them off. The sinister acts Mr. Dark takes to get Jim and Will to the carnival demonstrates the
cruel attitude that Mr. Dark shows to those that try to stop him. This example is the final nail in
the coffin that proves that Mr. Dark is a cruel person. When the Dust Witch fails to kill Charles
Holloway by stopping his heart, Mr. Dark uses her as a act in the deadly bullet act. Just like
everyone who fails him or is trapped and turned into freaks becomes an act for the carnival. The
Dust Witch basically begs to stop the act but Mr. Dark simply refuses and is unknowingly by the
audience killed by the man she was tasked to kill. The cruelty that Mr. Dark demonstrates to
others that he is a negative influence.
Mr. Dark's influence can be considered negative because of how others feel around him.
Will becomes afraid of Mr. Dark after he breaks his carousel and accidently changes Mr. Cooger
to become hundreds of years old. Will is so scared that he thinks that [they will] make him
young again and then they come like cannibals after us (Bradbury 128). After the encounter
Jim and Will had with Mr. Cooger Will becomes terrified of what will Mr. Dark do to them for
breaking the carousel and for turning Mr. Cooger old. Will thinks of how Mr. Dark will come
after them and do something terrible to himself and Jim. Also example that shows how he makes
other people feel around him is when he talks to Charles Holloway. Many times Mr. Dark will
comment on Charles biggest insecurity, his age. Mr. Dark would talk about how he will make

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him young or how old he is making Charles feel bad or angered. This shows how Mr. Dark can
be a bad influence because of how he makes Charles feel about his age, sometimes even taunting
him because he wants something from him. How Mr. Dark makes people feel goes to a whole
new level as both Jim and Will are scared of him now to the point that there hiding under a metal
grate by the side walk. Both Jim and Will are paranoid and frightened of what Mr. Dark will do
to them so they hide, trembling in the corner as they see the freaks out to get them pass by. Mr.
Darks tense and scary personality scares and bothers other people around him. How other
people feel around Mr. Dark can describe his negative personality
Mr. Darks bad influence can be traced back to how he manipulates people. Mr. Dark has
tried manipulating many people like when the time he got Miss Foley to use to carousel. Miss
Foley always wanted to be young again, shown when she entered the mirror maze. Miss Foley
was desperate she had to make sure [that] no one must stand between her and the nephew, her
and carousel, her and lovely gliding ride-around summer (Bradbury 122). Mr. Dark uses
insecurities of people to get them to do things that benefit him, Mr. Dark got Miss Foley to ride
the carousel to get young but she became a child and disappeared after being captured by Mr.
Dark. When Mr. Dark tries to find Jim and Will in the library Mr. Dark tried calling out that he
will make Jim older hoping that Jim will come out and give out his position to him. Mr. Dark
again tries to use what people want for his benefit. Jim always wanted to be older since he saw
the effects of the carousel and Mr. Dark knows that so he tried to manipulate Jim. Towards the
end of the novel when it looks like there is no hope for Mr. Dark he pulls another trick from his
sleeve. He uses the carousel to become a boy and tries to trick Charles Holloway and escape. It is
the final thing Mr. Dark can do to save himself, by manipulating Charles Mr. Dark can have

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another chance to survive and rebuild his evil carnival. The ability to lie and manipulate can get
almost anything for Mr. Dark showing that he is a weak influence to others.
Mr. Dark is cruel, manipulative and how others feel around him presents how Mr. dark is
a awful influence. This behaviour from Mr. Dark allowed him to terrorise towns for centuries by
being cruel to others around him, manipulating and lying to people for his benefit, by how people
feel around him whether its being scared or paranoid, Mr. Dark is truly the definition of evil.

Work Cited
Bradbury.Ray.Something Wicked This Way Comes.Ny:Harrper,1997.Print