“There Will Come Soft Rains” lacks any living human character and as a result the house becomes the main avenue of storytelling. Bradbury establishes an eerie, mechanical tone that reflects the mechanization of the house. This tone is reinforced by the use of the voice-clock, which periodically announces the time of day. Even the death of the deceased family’s dog is situated chronologically in between time stamps. What is in fact a tragic death by radiation poisoning and starvation becomes “debris” that is cleaned up between two o’clock and two thirty-five. Bradbury’s use of such a detached, factual tone emphasizes the tragedy of the humanity that has been lost: there is no one left to mourn.

The personification of the house further reflects inhumanity of the machinery. It moves mechanically, coldly, with no real emotion, even though it attempts to convey this through sing-songy clock reminders. When the voice reads out the Sarah Teasdale poem for which the story is named, the juxtaposition is off-putting. Here is a poem about nature’s longevity and indifference to human action read by a robotic voice in the wall. This seems to be a fitting and unsettling combination that ties Bradbury’s narrative together.

Ray Bradbury is well known for his science fiction works, specifically those that emphasize the relationship between humans, nature, and technology. This background certainly aligns with “There Will Come Soft Rains.” Bradbury was also known for social commentary, which is particularly fitting given the Cold War context of this story’s publication. The fears of nuclear war, as well as the apprehensions around rapidly expanding technology, would have been immediately recognizable for audiences in the 1950s. “There Will Come Soft Rains” depicts a technological fixture—the house—that withstands a nuclear blast, even though its occupants did not. Bradbury illustrates a world where technology has gone too far, so far as to outlast humanity. There is an underlying dread that such rapid technological advancement will be the end of humanity.

The role of nature is especially important throughout the story. Nature is what prevails in this post-blast world. Similarly, nature is what eventually leads to the downfall of the house. References to animal and plant life are abundant in the story. The robot mice act as cleaners, scurrying around just as their flesh and blood counterparts would. The house shutters itself when a bird lands on the windowsill, perceiving it as a threat. The nursery walls come alive with images and sounds of the natural world. When the house catches on fire, the “jungle” of the nursery burns. The digital animals scurry and meet the same fate as the rest of the mechanical voices in the walls. Although the house attempts to replicate the doings of nature, it fails to live up to the longstanding power of nature. Though the house could withstand the nuclear blast, it fails to match the impact of nature. It has been trying to replicate the natural world but has only created technological versions of it. Thus, it is symbolic that this seemingly indestructible home is felled by something as natural as a fire caused by a strong wind.

The story’s namesake, “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Sara Teasdale, draws on the ideas of nature and destruction. The poem, which describes the way nature will return to equilibrium even after war and human destruction, provides a parallel to what goes on in the story. After the nuclear fallout, major destruction occurred. Yet it is nature that prevails against the mechanics of the house. It is suggested that even after humans are gone—whether from nuclear blasts, disease, or warfare—nature will carry on, unbothered. When spring arrives, it “[w]ould scarcely know that we were gone.” This is an ominous conversation to have with Teasdale’s poem, which details the peace that comes after war. Bradbury’s choice to name the story after the poem—and thus to directly cite it—invites a discussion about the relationship between humanity and its surroundings. Bradbury seems to be suggesting that humanity is relatively insignificant in the face of nature’s immensity.

At the heart of the story’s irony is a poem by Sara Teasdale that the mechanical house chooses to read when the former lady of the house, Mrs. McClellan, is no longer there to express a preference. The title of the story comes from the first line of the poem: “There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground.” Teasdale goes on to create a poetic world in which swallows, robins, and frogs continue their singing, oblivious to humankind and its wars:

And not one will know of the war, not oneWill care at last when it is done.Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,If mankind perished utterly;And Spring herself, when she woke at dawnWould scarcely know that we were gone.

The irony exists in the way in which Bradbury’s fictional world in “There Will Come Soft Rains” parallels the imaginative world of Teasdale’s poem. By placing this poem in the middle of the story, just before the house starts to die, Bradbury draws attention to the role that nature plays in its death, but also to nature’s lack of concern for humanity. There is also the additional irony that this poem about nature’s lack of concern for human life is picked at random by a house designed to operate at the beck and call of people who are no longer even there. The house, with its mechanical voices, carries on, unconcerned, just as do the birds and frogs of the poem, with their natural voices.

The personification of the house throughout the story serves to make even more obvious, by contrast, the absence of human life. The house is full of voices, but not one of them belongs to a living human being. When danger arises, the voices scream and wail as if the machines behind them were capable of feeling fear. The house fights valiantly to save itself, and the fight becomes a battle as between two human entities. The fire lies in beds, feeds on paintings, stands in windows, feels the clothes in the closets. The fire is clever. It sends flames, as with conscious intent, to destroy the attic brain that controls the water pumps. The house’s defeat is described in anatomical terms: “The house shuddered, oak bone on bone, its bared skeleton cringing from the heat, its wire, its nerves revealed as if a surgeon had torn the skin off to let the red veins and capillaries quiver in the scalded air.” Its collapse becomes a burial: “The crash. The attic smashing into kitchen and parlor. The parlor into cellar, cellar into sub-cellar. Deep freeze, armchair, film tapes, circuits, beds, and all like skeletons thrown in a cluttered mound deep under.”

Humans, in their attempt to be godlike, have succeeded in creating a dwelling that practically takes on a life of its own. In the absence of its human creators, however, the religion for which the house itself serves as an altar is reduced to an empty ritual. The ritual continues for a time, but the “gods” that it is designed to serve have gone away. All that remains is nature, which scarcely knows that they are gone.

Aftermath of World War II
Bradbury penned "There Will Come Soft Rains" in the early 1950s, a time when the memory of World War II was still vivid, especially the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which concluded the war. Although the Allies emerged victorious, growing tensions between the United States and the U.S.S.R. led to the onset of the Cold War, characterized by a nuclear arms race. President Dwight Eisenhower, a celebrated war hero, cautioned against the expanding military-industrial complex required to sustain the Cold War. In the United States' mission to eliminate communism globally, particularly starting with the Soviet Union, a significant portion of the nation's resources and economic strength had to be devoted to amassing weapons. Critics argued that this focus on military readiness would cause the government to overlook other crucial issues, such as education, welfare, and economic development. Despite these concerns, few citizens were preoccupied with such issues as the 1950s began; jobs were abundant, and people could now afford previously unaffordable items like cars and televisions. However, the looming threat of nuclear war permeated daily life. People constructed bomb shelters in their basements, and children participated in bomb drills at school, learning to protect themselves from a nuclear explosion by crawling under their desks and placing their hands over their heads.

Anticommunist Fervor
The fear of communism escalated uncontrollably during the 1950s, most notably represented by the Senate Committee on Unamerican Activities, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. This committee investigated and persecuted numerous prominent Americans suspected of communist beliefs. This paranoia, coupled with a fervent effort to expose and eliminate democracy's perceived traitors, became known as McCarthyism. Many writers and artists were hauled into court, accused of being communists, and subsequently "blacklisted," meaning they were unable to find work. Consequently, numerous lives and careers were destroyed.

When not fixated on the "red menace" of communism, the nation turned its gaze toward the future. Inspired by pre-war interests in futurism and modernism showcased by corporate America at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, people's imaginations were ignited by the prospects of transcontinental highways, labor-saving devices like washing machines and robots, and the potential for space travel. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established to make space travel a reality. However, the U.S.S.R. outpaced the Americans by launching Sputnik in 1956, intensifying anti-Soviet sentiment in the United States. Government leaders vowed to escalate the space race by pledging to land a man on the moon before the century's end. This fascination with the future was mirrored in the nation's growing interest in science fiction movies and comic books.

The setting of "There Will Come Soft Rains" is clearly established at the beginning of the story. It takes place on the morning of August 4, 2026, in Allendale, California. The narrative unfolds in the aftermath of a catastrophic nuclear war. The entire story spans a single day within an abandoned family home, which remains covered in ash but is still technologically functional.

Irony
Bradbury masterfully employs irony throughout the narrative. In this context, irony refers to an outcome that is starkly different from what one would anticipate. For instance, it is ironic that the same technology responsible for creating a house capable of cooking and cleaning is also the force that eradicated all human life on the planet. Additionally, it is ironic that such an advanced piece of technology, the computerized house, is ultimately destroyed by a natural element—a tree branch that crashes through a window and ignites a fire.

Another layer of irony is found in the symbolism of the poem the computer recites to the empty house. "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Sara Teasdale was penned as a critique of World War I. Teasdale suggests that after all wars have ended, the earth will persist despite human efforts to destroy it. Although Teasdale couldn’t have foreseen the horrors of nuclear war, her poem remains relevant. Even a world contaminated by radiation for millennia, unable to sustain human life, will continue to exist. The irony lies in the house reading this apocalyptic vision, which has already become reality. Humans predicted their own destruction, and now only their prophecies endure. This inherent contradiction, which forms the irony of the story, can also be described as a paradox. A paradox is a situation that appears self-contradictory. Thus, the very technology designed to protect humanity—nuclear weapons—has ultimately led to their demise.

Simile
Bradbury employs similes—comparisons between dissimilar situations or objects—to enrich the imagery in his writing. For example, he mentions that the "nerves" of the house were "revealed as if a surgeon had torn the skin off to let the red veins and capillaries quiver in the scalded air." By attributing nerves to the house, he likens it to a living being that is severely injured. This not only creates a striking visual but also implies that the house is capable of feeling. Feeling is a distinctly human trait. Assigning human traits to non-human entities is a literary technique known as anthropomorphism. By describing the house in human terms, Bradbury aims for the reader to empathize with it, recognizing it as the last functioning object on Earth. Its purpose—to serve humans—is now obsolete because there are no humans left. Although the house lacks emotions, readers who relate to it might sense loneliness and imagine the agony of having one's skin stripped away. This approach allows Bradbury to elicit emotional responses from readers, a hallmark of effective storytelling. In another simile, the fire "[feeds] upon Picassos and Matisses in the upper halls, like delicacies." Comparing priceless paintings to food anthropomorphizes the fire by giving it a human characteristic—eating. In a narrative devoid of human characters, the use of similes and anthropomorphism provides readers with elements they can connect with.

By 1950, Bradbury was well aware of the looming threat of nuclear holocaust and of the irony that the technology that could be used to make life more comfortable for humanity could also be misused to bring about humankind’s ultimate destruction. In creating the house that is the focal point of the story, human beings have made their scientific knowledge work for them to render daily life orderly and carefree. Before the nuclear explosion, the inhabitants of the house clearly lived a pampered existence, and it was the house itself, humankind’s creation, that pampered them and that indeed even did much of their thinking for them. The house cooked, cleaned, and protected itself without the expending of any human energy. Martinis and sandwiches appeared readymade for the bridge party, and the cards were even mechanically dealt. The children were entertained with fantasy worlds on film projected on the walls of the nursery, and their parents with poetry read at their request by a voice box. The house also reminded the owners to pay their bills, to acknowledge birthdays and anniversaries, and to take along galoshes and umbrellas. Ironically, once the house made possible by humankind’s technological advances started to function, it no longer needed humankind. So smoothly did the house run itself that it might have lived on much longer had not nature interfered.

In Bradbury’s prophetic look at the future of modern society, human beings by the year 2026 have advanced to the point where they can control their material realm, but they cannot control their own destructive tendencies. The implication is that the nuclear blast is the result of an act of aggression against the West Coast of the United States. Whether war or nuclear accident is responsible for the devastation, however, human beings’ power to use science for their own benefit is juxtaposed to their powerlessness to control their scientific developments in their more destructive forms.

The end of the story also illustrates humankind’s powerlessness in the face of natural forces. The manner in which the house dies emphasizes the ability of nature to endure in spite of human beings’ ultimately fatal attempts to control their environment. The wind blowing down a tree branch starts the series of events that end in the total destruction of the house. Dawn breaks in the east as the destruction is complete. The natural cycle goes on regardless of whether there is a single human being left alive to witness it. A human’s puny recorded voice calls forth that a new day has begun, but the sun rises to shine only on a heap of rubble.

Bradbury wrote "There Will Come Soft Rains" in the early 1950s. The memory of World War II was still vivid, especially the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which ended the conflict. Although the Allies had emerged victorious, escalating tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union marked the beginning of the Cold War, characterized by a nuclear arms race. President Dwight Eisenhower, a celebrated war hero, cautioned against the expanding military-industrial complex necessary to sustain the Cold War. To combat communism globally, starting with the Soviet Union, the United States had to allocate a significant portion of its resources and economic power to amassing weapons. Critics argued that this war preparedness focus would lead the government to neglect other vital issues such as education, welfare, and economic growth. Despite these concerns, as the 1950s began, few citizens seemed worried; jobs were abundant, and people could now afford previously cost-prohibitive items like cars and televisions. However, the threat of nuclear war permeated daily life, leading people to build bomb shelters in their basements and children to participate in school bomb drills, where they learned to protect themselves from a nuclear blast by crawling under their desks and covering their heads.

The fear of communism spiraled out of control during the 1950s, most notably represented by the Senate Committee on Un-American Activities, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. This committee investigated and persecuted numerous prominent Americans suspected of communist involvement. This paranoia and the fanatical efforts to root out "traitors" became known as "McCarthyism." Many writers and artists were brought to court, accused of being communists, and subsequently "blacklisted," rendering them unable to find work. Consequently, many lives and careers were devastated.

When not preoccupied with the "red menace" of communism, the nation turned its gaze toward the future. Inspired by pre-war interests in futurism and modernism showcased by corporate America at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, people's imaginations were ignited by visions of transcontinental highways, labor-saving devices like washing machines and robots, and the possibility of space travel. The formation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aimed to make space travel a reality, but the Soviet Union took an early lead by launching Sputnik in 1956, further fueling anti-Soviet sentiment in the United States. Government leaders intensified the space race by declaring their intention to land a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s. The nation's fascination with the future was also reflected in the popularity of science fiction movies and comic books.

1951: The United States detonates its first thermonuclear device in the mid-Pacific, completely destroying the Eniwetok island atoll. Minimal precautions are taken to shield nearby residents from radiation exposure.

1997: Despite several near catastrophes over the past decades, including incidents at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, and Monroe, Michigan, nuclear power plants still generate a significant portion of the United States's electricity.

1951: Remington Rand produces the world's first commercial computer, the Univac. This machine occupies an entire room and needs several experts to operate it.

1997: Intel Corporation's Pentium chip is installed in 90 percent of all new personal computers. This common microprocessor chip is roughly the size of a fingernail.

1951: Bell Telephone introduces the first long-distance direct dialing service.

1997: Communications companies reach an agreement with the government to develop digital, high-definition television signals. These signals will also enable access to the Internet via television sets.

Bradbury's The Veldt narrates the story of a brother and sister who can travel anywhere in the world using their nursery's electronic screen. Similar to "There Will Come Soft Rains," the consequences of this technology can be fatal.

The Martian Chronicles was turned into a television film in 1979, featuring Rock Hudson, Bernadette Peters, Roddy McDowell, and Darin McGavin. Directed by Michael Anderson and produced by U.S.A. Fries Entertainment, the film is available through Fries Home Video. The story "There Will Come Soft Rains" has also been adapted into a graphic story for the comic book Weird Fantasy, Vol. 1, no. 17, October 1996.

The Martian Chronicles was turned into a television film in 1979, featuring Rock Hudson, Bernadette Peters, Roddy McDowell, and Darin McGavin. The movie was directed by Michael Anderson and produced by U.S.A. Fries Entertainment. You can find it through Fries Home Video.

"There Will Come Soft Rains" was transformed into a graphic story for the comic book Weird Fantasy, Vol. 1, No. 17, in October 1996.

Everman, Welch D. "August 2026: 'There Will Come Soft Rains': Overview." In Reference Guide to Short Fiction, First Edition. Edited by Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Everman explores Bradbury's claim that "human life is precariously balanced between the natural world we believe we have left behind and the technological world that has surpassed us, and, unfortunately, neither of these worlds needs us to exist."

McNelly, Willis E. "Two Views: Ray Bradbury Past, Present and Future." In Voices for the Future: Essays on Major Science Fiction Writers. Bowling Green: Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1976, pp. 167-75. McNelly analyzes Bradbury's short stories, connecting them to the broader American short fiction tradition.

Mogen, David. "Ray Bradbury." Twayne's United States Authors Series Online. New York: G. K. Hall & Co., 1999. A detailed biography of Bradbury, covering his early life, literary influences, and body of work.

Sources
Bradbury, Ray. Zen and the Art of Writing, Capra Press, 1973.

Bradbury, Ray and Jeffrey M. Elliot. "Ray Bradbury: Poet of Fantastic Fiction," in Science Fiction Voices #2, The Borgo Press, 1979, pp. 20-29.

Finkelstein, Sidney. "World of Science Fiction," in Masses and Mainstream, Vol. 8, April 1955, pp. 48-57.

Gallagher, Edward J. "The Thematic Structure of 'The Martian Chronicles'," in Ray Bradbury, edited by Martin Harry Greenberg and Joseph D. Olander, Taphnger Publishing Co., 1980, pp. 55-82.

McLaughlin, John J. "Science Fiction Theatre," in The Nation, Vol. 200, No. 4, January 25, 1965, pp. 92-94.

Pell, Sarah-Warner J. "Style Is the Man: Imagery in Bradbury's Fiction," in Ray Bradbury, edited by Martin Harry Greenberg and Joseph D. Olander, Taplinger Publishing Co., 1980, pp. 186-194.

Touponce, William F. "Some Aspects of Surrealism in the Work of Ray Bradbury," in Extrapolation, Vol. 25, No. 3, Fall 1984, pp. 228-238.

Further Reading
Everman, Welch D. "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains," in Reference Guide to Short Fiction, edited by Noelle Watson, St. James Press, 1990, pp. 627-628.
A literary analysis of the story.

Magill, Frank N. "Ray Bradbury," in Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Salem Press, Vol. 1, 1988, pp. 209-309.
This multi-volume reference includes biographical details as well as general literary analysis. Although "There Will Come Soft Rains" is not specifically discussed, the influence of Bradbury's history on his vision of the future is examined.

• Gary Mead’s The Doughboys: America and the First World War, published in 2000, delves into World War I from an intriguing angle. Readers might be astonished to discover how the United States' allies attempted to leverage American involvement for their own benefits and against their adversaries. Though the book is extensive, it reads more like a novel than a traditional history text.

• Richard Rhodes’s 1995 book, Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb, offers a comprehensive look at “super” science, postwar politics, espionage, and ethical dilemmas. This account stands out because it not only details the scientific breakthroughs but also delves into the personal quirks and unusual traits of the physicists involved.

• Many people remember the iconic Vietnam War photo of a young girl running naked down a road, her body burned by napalm. That girl was nine-year-old Kim Phuc, whose life story is recounted in Denise Chong’s 2000 biography, The Girl in the Picture: The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photographer, and the Vietnam War. The book narrates her incredible survival, her interactions with both Americans and North Vietnamese, and her current life in Canada with her husband and two sons.

• First released in 1937, The Collected Poems of Sara Teasdale has seen numerous editions and reprints, making it easily accessible in libraries. This collection is an outstanding compilation of her work, featuring the simple love lyrics that brought her fame, as well as the darker poems she penned in the years leading up to her suicide.

• During World War I, Vera Brittain served as a nurse in military hospitals in England and France. Like many others, Brittain was appalled by the war's scale, losing her boyfriend, brother, and two close friends on the battlefield. Their stories are woven together through a collection of letters they exchanged during the war in the book Letters from a Lost Generation (1999), edited by Alan Bishop and Mark Bostridge.