THE FIRE BALLOONS

STORY SUMMARY

• “In "The Fire Balloons," by Ray Bradbury, a team of priests is sent to Mars with the intention of
converting the Martians to Christianity. They discover two different kinds of Martians: non-human and
extinct. After the Martians save the Fathers from an avalanche, Father Peregrine is convinced that they
have souls and morality. After proving his point, the team of priests construct a church for them. The
Martians reveal that they are former humans in sphere-shaped fire bodies and the story concludes with
the priests affirming that their blue sphere represents God.
QUOTE 1

“Monsters”

• The above line is said by Father Stone

• Symbolizes the initial shock Father Stone has on seeing the Martians for the first time .

• Gives us an idea of what he thinks of the Martians and his attitude towards them while also portraying
Father Stone’s judgemental character.
QUOTE 2

“ I must speak to them.”

• The line is said by Father Peregrine

• Shows the contrasting attitude that he has as compared to Father Stone with regard to the Martians.

• The line Expresses Father Peregrine’s desire to understand. On one hand, he seems to be terrified
of them but on the other hand, he wants to interact with them and understand them better therefore
creating a paradox of sorts.
QUOTE 3

I would not let a Martian sphere burn in hell, either, for it is a sphere only in
mine eyes. When I close my eyes it stands before me, an intelligence, a love, a soul and I
must not deny it.”

• The line shows us how Father Peregrine, overlooks their appearance and instead views them as beings
with souls who are intelligent and have a sense of morality

• The line also puts forward the idea that appearances can be deceiving and one must look beyond them.

• There is a use of emotive language by the author. By using phrases like “ intelligence, a love, a soul”
he helps the readers understand the deep emotional connection Father Peregrine has with the
Martians.
QUOTE 4

“The way I see it is there’s a Truth on every planet.”

• The line is said by Father Stone at the end of the story after the priests’ encounter with the spheres.

• It reflects the change in the character of Father Stone. Ironically, unlike at the start of the story where he described
the spheres as monsters he seems to have had a change of heart towards them.

• The line is an indirect message to the world to never judge anything based off its appearance. It underscores the
fact that moral truths can exist in unconventional forms (as we see with the fire balloons in the story) and that one
shouldn’t dismiss someone just because they appear different.