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Ray Bradbury's Short Story 'The Silent Towns'

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Ray Bradbury's short story “The Silent Towns” presents many different themes and outlooks.One theme the story establishes is that “Just because you start off feeling lonely and sad, does not mean you’ll end up feeling lonely and sad,you can be lonely and happy because of there's always a choice that you make that gives you your end result”.Firstly, Walter Gripp deals with an internal conflict in the beginning,where he's wondering why he's so alone seeing the town is really dead silent,and his internal conflict with himself makes him feel lonely and sad.Walter drew a glass of beer and sobbed gently in the bar and said “Why”, he said “I’m all alone.He entered the elite theater to show himself a film,to distract his mind from his isolation” …show more content…

Thirdly,Walter assumes that Genevieve would be a certain way, for instance, he expected her to look skinny and pretty but, when he saw her he was surprised and he decided to leave her because she wasn’t what he expected her to look like and he thought she would give him comfort and get rid of his loneliness but things didn't work as expected and that's why he's seen as a dynamic character that changes throughout the story. Walter trying to escape, while Genevieve is showing off her wedding dress to him.Walter says “The thing I have to say to you is...Good-by” (Bradbury). “And he was out the door into his car before she could scream...And when once in awhile over the long years the phone rings-he doesn't answer” (Bradbury). Walter Gripp finally realizes that happiness does not mean you have to have a significant other and he leaves Genevieve because that's what makes him happy and satisfied rather than living in shock and or guilt for the rest of his life because she wasn't what he expected her to be like.In conclusion, the central theme of being lonely and sad does not always mean that one is lonely and therefore that makes him sad because it’s your choice of being either lonely and sad or lonely and happy and it's what you choose that gives you your

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