An Analysis of Ray Bradbury's Work Ray Bradbury does an excellent job of making his literature interesting and fascinating to read. This makes him a great American author. He wrote a novel, The Illustrated Man, full of details about futuristic events. One effect on the outcome was how this piece of literature was written at the time it was written. The time period was revealed through the use of characterization and setting. Throughout the novel, Bradbury uses simile and theme of literary elements to make his point. At the time it was written, World War II was underway. Before the 1940s, in the last decade the United States went through a phase of depression and remained isolated from other nations. The United States became involved in the war when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The Great Depression had an extremely negative effect on the economy, and as a result of the war, “unemployment almost disappeared because men were at war and women and blacks were allowed to fill the open positions” (American Cultural History the Twentieth Century 2). During this time the Holocaust was occurring. The Army provided a GI Bill, which in turn gave more men college educations. “Three times as many college degrees were awarded in 1949 as in 1940. College became available to capable people rather than to a privileged few” (American Cultural History the Twentieth Century 3). The baby boom was the result of the returning soldiers. In the 1940s, computers were in the early stages of development. The ENIAC was a digital computer completed in 1945. The United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war. Another aspect of the 1940s was the use of radio. ...... half of the sheet ......r II. The Illustrated Man is an excellent choice for a reader interested in hearing predictions of the future made long ago. The author used the elements of characterization, theme, setting, simile, and symbolism in his novel. These elements were used for a specific purpose and to entertain the reader. Works Cited Bradbury, Ray. The illustrated man. New York: Spectra, 1951. Fang, Ross, Irving, Ross. "20th Century: Fifth Decade." 1995-1996 1-3. December 6, 2006. Goodwin, Susan. "Twentieth-Century American Cultural History." (1999) 1-12. December 1, 2006 .McNelly, Willis E. . . "Ray Bradbury: Past, Present and Future." Contemporary literary criticism. Volume 10. 1979.Reid, Robin Ann. A critical companion. Library of Congress Cataloging, 2000.