YOUthful Style

Throughout the first third of Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury’s stylistic choices greatly affect his writing, a passion of his since age eleven. Bradbury tells of Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, two boys who discover magic in a traveling carnival. The author writes from a time when boys often pushed the limits, such as the members of the band The Beatles. In order to emphasize their curiosity, Bradbury often switches from a third person point of view to second, a stylistic choice that I find highly effective for his novel. The author applies this technique when describing a habit of Jim’s: “you never look away” from the world (40). By using Jim as a synecdoche, Bradbury asserts why young boys often feel inquisitive. In switching to second person, he creates pathos felt by those who explore. Consequently, Bradbury generates empathy towards Jim’s wayward character. Again the author uses this style through Will’s father, claiming “you’re…nearest to dead” at three AM (59). Through the use of second person, the author escalates the anticipation of those who awaken at this hour. While his pathos entrances the reader, Bradbury juxtaposes the anxiety of the elder generation to the excitement of their children, who await the night’s wonders. The author additionally describes a night time ritual for Jim and Will by using this stylistic choice: whenever one boy plays a certain tune on an old board, “you could tell the… venture” (94). By using the boyish diction of “venture,” Bradbury creates an elated tone. He again produces pathos through the pronoun “you” and this elation, a relatable emotion for those who have pursued the night. Overall, the author’s ability to smoothly transition from third to second person not only effectively communicates the novel’s main themes, but it also expresses to young boys the fun of exploration. I believe that those who look down on the use of this technique will see intricacy it adds to the developing lives of Will and Jim.  Bradbury intends to win over these skeptical readers by placing them in the boys' “ventures,” which the lads will never forget.