You know, this short story, “There Will Come Soft Rains” was very interesting and truly was one of a kind (but not really). It kind of rehashes the same ideas we’ve been discussing throughout some of our previous readings.
In this, humanity or mankind, has been decimated, and what remains in the aftermath is that of technology and some of the animals that did not die off since the end of the war between humankind.
The story begins with one structure, a house, that has been left standing in the midst of rubble. Inside, the house’s technological features continue on with their daily routine despite the fact that their are no humans or people present.
I can pretty much infer from this that ‘human extinction’ was not one of the problems that were programmed into the line of code. So, with that in mind, they simply proceed with what it was programmed to do: to continually keep the house clean, tidy, and welcoming. Even though nobody, besides stray animals, is going to enter that house for a millennia.
Throughout the story, we are described the technology and some of the functions of what they do. For the most part, every piece of technology in the story is automatic. For example, the stove, cleaning mice, outside sprinklers, the lawn-mower, the fire suppression system, etc. Through all of these devices, it shows us how dependent humanity was on technology before the bombs fell, and it continues to tell me that humans could not quite function without it.
That being said, in the story, the year is 2052, and Bradbury has a very vivid imagination of what the future will hold. At the same time, however, I believe Bradbury is showing us that this is happening in our lives as we speak. We are drawing too close to technology and we need to push away to gain back our strength.
I understand my post was quite short, but these are the only ideas I drew from a four-page story.