The Martian Chronicles

In Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, the planet Mars has been deemed livable, and American citizens begin to colonize the planet. The Colonization of Mars is very similar to the colonization of the United States in many ways. When people first came to America, Native Americans were forced from their territories and many were killed by either diseases or Colonists. In the novel, the first expeditions expose the Martians to diseases, such as the Chicken Pox, which take many Martian lives. As more people come to Mars, the Martians are targeted because they are different, and therefore scare the colonists. The Martian population disappears as they are forced out of their cities and killed.

The reasons citizens had for both coming to America and going to Mars are very similar. Early American Colonists left their homes in order to find freedom, wealth, and prosperity. In the novel, Americans come to Mars to escape the war on Earth, finding their own freedom on a new planet. Bradbury creates tones of defeat and anguish when citizens on Mars are required to follow strict laws and live with little rights. Anything that could be considered controversial has been destroyed and the American government is trying to control the lives of the human race. Although many people came to Mars to escape the American government, they were unsuccessful.