"We Earth Men have a talent for ruining big, beautiful things."
One of the major themes of the Martian Chronicles, and perhaps one of its overarching messages, is the tendency of mankind to sacrilegiously abuse and exploit wonderful things. As Spender says, “The only reason we didn't set up hot-dog stands in the midst of the Egyptian temple of Karnak is because it was out of the way and served no large commercial purpose." Mankind is inherently greedy and selfish, and men have little respect for tradition or magnificence when material gain could be had at its expense. Spender's message is especially moving considering the circumstances: the expedition has just landed on Mars to find out that the Martians have all died of chicken pox, the result of the first arrival of mankind on the planet. This crew, furthermore, is already disrespecting the remnants of the Martians and planning to build new structures. This is the true cause of the fall of Mars: the mere arrival of Man.
“... at base, science is no more than an investigation of a miracle we can never explain, and art is an interpretation of that miracle.”
This extraordinarily insightful quote expresses a great truth about the related functions of science and art. The miracles of life are the primary components of life in the world. Science is merely an investigation into these miracles: it can discover and publicize the laws they follow, but it is completely unable to discover the meaning of these miracles or even how they came to be. Art, on the other hand, takes a different approach to the miracles of life: interpretation and expression. Art concerns itself with the miracles themselves, while science deals with the results of those miracles.
This view of science is one of the elements that makes Bradbury stand apart from other science fiction writers: he saw science as merely a tool in the enjoyment of beauty, warning against too heavy an emphasis on science over art. The poetry of his work attests to this worldview, and it's quite an attractive one.
“'It is good to renew one's wonder,' said the philosopher.
'Space travel has again made children of us all.'"
These are the opening lines of The Martian Chronicles, and they aptly encapsulate one of Bradbury's main points. The primary function of this novel-esque collection of stories is the renewal of the reader's sense of wonder, which Bradbury believes has been lost in the modern era. This is an intriguing perspective, as science fiction generally concerns lofty intellectual questions and complicated scientific material. Bradbury breaks from traditional science fiction with this epigraph; in saying that "Space travel has again made children of us all," he is ironically flipping the traditional view of science fiction on its head, arguing that the advancement of technology, rather than solidifying man's cold view of material reality, has provided an opportunity for man to realize the vast beauty of the universe, reverting back to a childlike state of wonder.
