Rocket Imagery
The men from Earth use rocket ships to journey to Mars, and the imagery that accompanies these rockets has a significant effect. The book opens with a description of the first rocket's heating effects, creating a warm climate on Earth for a short amount of time during winter. The rocket, therefore, is an image that evokes power and wonder, soaring through space to reach unknown territories. On the side of the Martians, the rocket is an image of power and uncertainty, a harbinger of a terrible future.
Civilization Imagery
Bradbury could have chosen to make his Martians into inhuman creatures. Instead, he made them much like humans, having families, buildings, institutions, and even ovens. This imagery of domestic life pervades descriptions of the Martians, and it lends a sense of humanity to them, making their eradication an even more horrific event.
Locust Imagery
When the humans colonize and begin to settle on Mars, Bradbury uses the image of locusts razing a crop field. The image of humans as locusts casts a bleak light on the practice of imperialistic colonization, revealing its selfishness and the detrimental effects on the native people and environment.
Nuclear War Imagery
The reason many Earthlings are evacuating to Mars is because of an impending nuclear war between major powers on Earth. As this is the case, most scenes taking place on Earth use imagery appropriate to a fiery destruction. In "The Off Season" and "The Watchers," humans on Mars watch as massive explosions appear on the surface of the Earth. This imagery, however, is most evident in the story "There Will Come Soft Rains," where the reader witnesses a post-apocalyptic vision of an abandoned house in California that malfunctions until it falls in on itself. The imagery of nuclear war is prevalent and striking, and it's a powerful vision of a terrifying future.
