What happened to the occupants of the house?
16 Answers
renelane | High School Teacher | (Level 3) Educator
The family-two parents, a son, and a daughter are dead as a result of an atomic bomb blast. The only thing that remains of them are five splotches against the house.
The family dog arrives at the house, alive but injured, but dies within the hour due to the effects of the radiation.
The only moving things left in the house are the robotic mice.
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
they died in consequence of a war.They were bombed with nuclear bombs
da-bu-reaper | Student, Undergraduate | eNotes Newbie
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aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
The occupants of the house, a family, are dead because of an nuclear war. the shadows of them are on the wall of the house.
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
As you can suggest of the image that is described the family were blasted by the atomic bomb and are squashed against the wall. Therefore the silhouettes of the occupants at the wall are describe. This is best shown by the describtion of the ball that never comes to the ground.
I think this process is unrealistic but the author uses this stylistic device to show the serious damage that could be done by the atomic bomb. It is an image which shows the uninterupted power of the atomic bomb.
But you can be sure that they are dead, caughting them by the effect of the atom bombs
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
In the consequence of an atomic bomb, the family died directly after the detonation by the nuclear radiation. The only one thing that is left, are the shadows on the wall.
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
In generall I think the occupants of the house are dead. They died, because an atomic bomb exploded and so there was no chance of survive.
It is described as if they were pressed at the wall and as if there are only silhouettes of the occupants and persons living in the house left.
The only thing that remains are photos and picture of the family.
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
All family members are dead, because of an atomic war. You can see it in line 31("At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow, which could be seen for miles."). The family consists of 4 members, the two parents and two children. Besides, a dog lives in that house, but died during the plot of that story. So that the one left "living" occupant in that house is the robot mice.
The only thing, which remains to the family are their shadows on the wall.
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
The family is dead, because of the nuclear bomb. The images of the family burned on wood in one titanic instant, a small boy, hands flug into the air higher up, the image of a thrown ball, and opposite him, a girl hands riased to catch a ball which never came down.
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
In my opinion, it was a nuclear attack that has terminated the occupants and the other people of the city. So the house is not inhabited by any human beings anymore. The only thing that remembers the reader of the family living there, are their photographs, that still are in the house.
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
The occupants perhaps became nuclear dust, during the exploition of the bomb and are now burned on the only wall that has remained! It seemed if they had been playing a happy game, but now their shadows and their dust are the only things left of them. How sad would this be when the story would become real. A happy familiy - perhaps not knowing about a possible nuclearwar.
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
Because of a nuclear attack the whole population of the town is killed. Also the occupants can't stand this attack, they die.
Only the images of the last moment they lived remain as a silhouette at the wall. (as in a photograph, a woman bent to pick up flowers)
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
All family members are killed by an atomic bomb and you only see the silhouettes of the family members on the wall of the house.
Now, only the robots in the house are still "alive" and try to do their work, without answers of the family members to a question.
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
The family members died after an atom-bombing.
Only their shadows left on a wall.
aldegrever | Teacher | (Level 2) Adjunct Educator
They all were killed by an atomic bomb.
sadiek | Student, Undergraduate | eNotes Newbie
The shadows left in the house ARE the occupants. The nuclear bomb left a mere shadow of them with it's radiation. The shadown represent the speed that a nuc can have if one is close enough to the epicenter.