The Martian Chronicles Isolation Quotes

How we cite our quotes: ("Story Name," Paragraph)

Quote #4

The majority is always holy, is it not? Always, always; just never wrong for one little insignificant tiny moment, is it? Never ever wrong in ten million years? He thought: What is this majority and who are in it? ("—And the Moon Be Still as Bright," 287)

In "—And The Moon Be Still As Bright," we get a lot of direct access to Wilder's thoughts, like here, when he's bitterly thinking about how the majority steamrolls over the minority. But does Bradbury agree with Wilder? We'd probably have to say—yes.

Quote #5

There was comfort in numbers. But the first Lonely Ones had to stand by themselves. ("The Settlers," 3)

The first settlers on Mars are referred to as "Lonely Ones" (see Spender for another use of "lonely one"). And yet this interchapter always uses the plural—lonely ones. If this is a group movement, how is it lonely?

Quote #6

"Men are men, unfortunately, no matter what their shape, and inclined to sin." ("The Fire Balloons," 122)

Father Peregrine is another example of a Spender-like figure who stands alone against a group of his comrades who don't see things the way he does. (Luckily, Peregrine doesn't kill anyone.) At heart, Peregrine sees all intelligent living creatures as sharing this important bond: they all sin. That's awfully pessimistic for a playful priest.