Setting in a Short Story, Ray Bradbury’s “The Long Rain”

The conflict in this story is directly related to the setting of the story. Simply told, setting is a
story’s time and place.

In “The Long Rain,” by Ray Bradbury, the characters find themselves in conflict against the
setting, making it the antagonist. The rain IS a character. As you learned last time, you can
learn about the conflict (and thereby the climax, meaning, and much more) based on carefully
paying attention to the characters’ actions, motivations, and descriptions.
Directions:
1. So, as we read, we’ll fill out this chart and see if you’re able to predict the ending. Don’t
forget to add evidence (quotes and page numbers). The boxes expand, so take as much
space as you need. You may collaborate on this assignment, but you should have your
own answers.
 Character The Rain The Lieutenant The Venutians The Crew

Description A sweating and tries to keep the they come up there are three
steaming rain. It people happy in out of the sea of them pg
came by the his crew. the rain and attack sun page 81 they
pounds and tons. is turning him domes page 87 smoke page 81
the rain never white from the One of them
stopped. Page 78 bleach. page 78- died in the
looks like stone 79 He is the lighting storm.
fountains page 82 leader. page 84
Motivation nothing it's just wants to get to to stop people want to get to
(Wants) there the sun dom from getting to the sun dome
page 88 the sun dome page 88
Impacted By nothing the pouring rain nothing the pouring
rain
Impact on Others porse down rain He is the leader makes people keeps on
on them all the of the crew and sad because going to get to
time making leads them they destroy the dome
them miserable the sun domes
page 79-80
Outcome makes 2 crew gets to the sun they destroy pickard dies on
members die dome on the last the first sun page 92
page dome simmons dies
page 94

2. Remember that I said Ray Bradbury’s superpower is his imagery (sensory language)?
Find a passage you find successful and copy it here. Don’t forget to add quotation marks
and a page number.

THE rain continued. It was a hard rain, a perpetual rain, a sweating and steaming rain; it
was a mizzle, a downpour, a fountain, a whipping at the eyes, an undertow at the ankles;
it was a rain to drown all rains and the memory of rains. It came by the pound and the
ton, it hacked at the jungle and cut the trees like scissors and shaved the grass and
tunneled the soil and molted the bushes. It shrank men’s hands into the hands of
wrinkled apes; it rained a solid glassy rain, and it never stopped.

page 78

3. Answer this question. Do you think that the Lieutenant made it to the Sun Dome alive or
not? ACE your answer. (Answer the question, Cite evidence from the book, Explain.
This should be around 5-7 sentences).
yes, when he goes to the sun dome there was a sign that said the sun dome. “He stood before the
yellow door. The printed letters over it said the sun dome” when he opens the door, he said that
the rain is a past memory. He looked around and saw food everywhere. It was warm in there and
there was a spot to take off his clothes and dry them. This is why i think he made it.