The Martian Chronicles

In Ray Bradbury's novel, The Martian Chronicles, European colonization is explored again. This time however, white explorers aren't heading towards North America, they're setting their sights on Mars. As Bradbury chronologically presents the experiences of various American astronauts and even of native Martians, he creates a parallel vision of what European-Indian relations were like. He uses Chicken Pox as a major pandemic that wipes out most of the Martians, just as Europeans had spread to natives the disease Small Pox. Bradbury portrays many of the astronauts as intrusive bigots, disrespectful to the ancient Martian culture, and who have little regard for the native population as anything more than savages. In contrast to European colonization, however, Ray Bradbury explores what did not occur during the 1500's: a few settlers who stand up for the natives, and have a deep sense of global (in this case universal) brotherhood. Spender, the archaeologist during the fourth expedition, is disgusted by most of his teammates, and vows to kill them out of rage over their lack of respect. Another astronaut, Cherokee, is even part Native American, and describes how he understands how it feels to have a foreigner scavenge your land. Like the expeditions of the 1500's though, not all natives were peaceful. Bradbury makes an effort to describe the hostility of the Martians towards the Americans, often making the Martians out to be quite superior, with the ability to read minds, control brains, and shape shift. Although the Americans have modern technology and weaponry (nuke guns as they're described), the Martians have the familiarity of the territory, and are often able to trick the astronauts into certain death. Bradbury articulates an overlying theme in all of this, which is the fallen and chaotic state of Earthly culture. As the American settlers begin to flow into Mars, this is more apparent. Although the Martians are physically destroyed, their ancient culture, glorious cities, and powerful presence live on. To the world, Mars is seen as a means of escape (Hinkston even asks if it's Heaven), and a chance at a new life. In that sense, Mars is refined, idolized; the place everyone wants to go to. This seems to be the case in the 1500's as well. America is the escape for the Pilgrims, the Quakers, and is seen as a new chance at fortune and wealth. One last theme that Bradbury touches on, is that, on America, settlers take over the land, exploit it's people, get every ounce of wealth from it, and then move on, in this case, to Mars. Bradbury highly over-exaggerates this for dramatic effect, but it is an interesting commentary on the way many people view the land they live on: Not as God's, but as their own. And the people, unlike God, do not show love to the land- they have no reverence for it. In the end, Earth is a wasteland, destroyed by a nuclear war, and the settlers stand on Mars, watching, but think about their presence on Mars, rather than what their presence was, on Earth.