The Locusts, Ray Bradbury: Summary & Analysis

'The Locusts' is a captivating chapter or vignette within Ray Bradbury's 1950 science fiction novel, The Martian Chronicles. The novel depicts the human exploration and settlement of Mars at the turn of the century after Earth becomes uninhabitable due to a nuclear war. In this particular vignette, ninety thousand Americans from Earth emigrate to Mars, marking a significant event in the colonization of the red planet. Although 'The Locusts' might be seen as a vignette rather than a traditional short story, it warrants closer analysis for its portrayal of the human arrival and settlement on Mars, a pivotal moment in Bradbury's Martian saga. Plot Summary In The Martian Chronicles, Bradbury sets 'The Locusts' in February 2002, fifty-two years after the book's initial publication. This vignette was specifically crafted for inclusion in The Martian Chronicles, a novel that weaves together various previously published short stories with new material to crea…