Author: Ray Bradbury
Pages read: 343 - 394
The Illustrated Man, before he was illustrated, and before he had taken on the urge to be illustrated, was actually thin and happy. He was a helper who took down the freak show tents and put them up, and he had a loving wife, and he was fit and healthy, with fairly good pay. But for some reason, he started eating, and eating, and eating, until he became quite fat. The freak show leader told him that because he was so fat, he could no longer help put up and take down the tents. There was no more use for him. The Illustrated Man desperately asked him for another job, and then the leader suggested being...illustrated. So the man went to a tattoo place and became...illustrated. I think that the Illustrated Man started eating because his wife fought with him. For example, it says, "They had fought deep into the summer nights, she like a brass trumpet forever blaring at him. And he had gone out to eat five thousand steaming hot dogs, ten million hamburgers, and a forest of green onions, and to drink vast red seas of orange juice." (Ray Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales, "The Illustrated Man", 383) Therefore, this fighting caused him pain and he needed to get away from it all. Thus, naturally, he began eating. And eating, and eating. And came to here.
Book: Ray Bradbury Stories - 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales
Author: Ray Bradbury
Pages read: 394 - 443
Willis's ethics are much different than the other spacemen. Willis believes that philosophy and thoughts, feelings, words will bring people happiness. The other men, especially Clive, believe in partying and not thinking about what you are doing. For example, it says, "'you're nuts. At dinner you should have heard the laughter! You and this old man, and just talk! they said. Just talk, talk!'...'Mr. Shaw.' Willis shook his head, snorting softly. 'Why is it you seem more alive to me than anyone I have ever known?' 'Why, my dear young friend,' replied the old man, gently, 'what you warm your hands at are Ideas, eh?'" (Ray Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales, "G.B.S.-Mark V", 436-437) This shows that Willis thinks that ideas are what actually fuel people to keep going, what makes life worth living. And the other people, they don't think very highly of "talk". They don't tend to think, in general.
