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Description edit
Eighteen short stories of this and other worlds, as revealed to the narrator by the various tattoos emblazoned upon the body of a stranger he runs into, hence the title, The Illustrated Man. Stories include: The Veldt, Kaleidoscope, The Other Foot, The Highway, The Man, The Long Rain, The... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
People edit
- The Illustrated Man: A man with the mysterious tattoos, each of which cause any onlooker to see or dream a disturbing story.
- The Narrator: Each time the narrator focuses on a particular tattoo he sees a disturbing story that in some way relates to the image of the tattoo.
Quotes edit
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“From this outer edge of his life, looking back, there was only one remorse, and that was only that he wished to go on living. Did all dying people feel this way, as if they had never lived? Did life seem that short, indeed, over and done before you took a breath? Did it seem this abrupt and impossible to everyone, or only to himself, here, now, with a few hours left to him for thought and deliberation?”
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“You're very tired. You've traveled a long way and you belong to a tired people who've been without faith a long time, and you want to believe so much now that you're interfering with yourself.”
The Mayor -
“Death loves death, not life. Dying people love to know that others die with them. It is a comfort to learn you are not alone in the kiln, in the grave.”
Simms -
“What sort of Christ do Christian Chinese worship? An oriental Christ, naturally. You've all seen oriental Nativity scenes How is Christ dressed? In eastern robes. Where does He walk? In Chinese settings of bamboo and misty mountain and crooked tree. His eyelids taper his cheekbones rise. Each country, each race adds something to Our Lord. I am reminded of the Virgin of Guadalupe, to whom all Mexico pays its love. Her skin? Have you noticed the apintings of her? A dark skin, like that of her worshippers. Is this blaspemy? Not al all. It is not logical that men should accept a God, no matter how real, of another color. I often wonder why our missionaries do well in Africe, with a snow-white Christ. Perhaps because white is a sacred color, in albino or any other form, to the African tribes. Given time, mightn't Christ darken there too? The form does not matter. Content is everything. We cannot expect these Martians to accept an alien form. We shall give them Christ in their own image.”
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“Christ will fill any vessel that is offered. Bodies or globes, he is there, and each will worship the same thing in a different guise.”
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“We wish to tell you that we appreciate your building this place for us but we have no need of it, for each of us is a temple unto himself and needs no place wherein to cleanse himself. Forgive us for not coming to you sooner, but we ae separate and apart and have talked to no one for ten thousand years, nor have we interfered in any way with the life of this planet. It has come into your mind now that we are the lillies of the field; we toil not, neither do we spin. You are right. And so we suggest that you take the parts of this temple into your own new cities and there cleanse others. For, rest assured, we are happy and at peace.”
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“In six months he would be the owner of a large pink, trained ulcer, a blood pressure of algeraic dimensions, a myopiea this side of blindness, and nightmares as deep as oceans and infested with improbabe lengths of drea intestines through which he must violently force his way each night.”
First Sentence edit
It was a warm afternoon in early September when I first met the Illustrated Man.
Table of Contents edit
Prologue
The Veldt
Kaleidoscope
The Other Foot
The Highway
The Man
The Long Rain
The Rocket Man
The Fire Balloons
The Last Night of the World
The Exiles
No Particular Night or Morning
The Fox and the Forest
The Visitor
The Concrete Mixer
Marionettes, Inc.
The City
Zero Hour
The Rocket
The Illustrated Man
Epilogue
Series & Lists edit
This is book 91 of 99 in National Public Radio's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy. (authoritative list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Ray Bradbury (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Doubleday & Company
Country: USA
Publication Date: 1951
ISBN: 0-380-97384-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Doubleday & Company
Country: USA
Publication Date: 1951
ISBN: 0-380-97384-7
Page Count: 256
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PZ3.B72453 Il PS3503.R167
- Dewey: 813.54
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