A Timeless Tale of Tragedy

    Time.  A simple word, yet an unbelievably complex concept.  Some of us choose to ignore the never-ceasing ticking of the clock, some of us accept it, and even more of us fear it.  Because, inevitably, with the passing of time comes aging.  Ray Bradbury thoroughly explores the depths of the internal conflicts that arise with the passing of time in his novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes. This timeless and universal conflict appears in several forms throughout the story--most notably, though, in the form of the mysterious carousel at the haunted carnival that comes to Jim Nightshade's and Will Halloway's hometown. One ride on the carousel, if no mistakes occur, will restore one's youth--a concept irresistible to many.  Additionally, though, a ride on the carousel can speed up time; this specific manipulation of time appeals mainly to children who have yet to discover the fears that come with the tragedy of growing older. Will touches on this subject when discussing the carousel with Jim and mentions that the merry-go-round does sound “keen,” but he also realizes the consequences of prematurely advancing one’s age: “You don’t really want to be twenty” (127).  The wisdom that Bradbury delegates to Will reflects his own opinions on this specific portion of the conflict—while growing older may seem alluring to young people, reality has proven that aging rarely ever works out well, and constantly wishing to speed up life will cause nothing but wasted time and disappointment.  The other, perhaps more pressing part of this conflict appears when older people reflect on their lives and want to become young again.  Charles Halloway, Will’s father, embodies this specific part of the conflict.  From the very beginning of the novel, Bradbury indirectly characterizes Halloway as wistful and painfully reminiscent of his youth.  When he watches Jim and Will go off to play, he “was suppressed with a sudden urge to run with them” (17).  Later, he reveals to Will that the thing he hates most about adulthood “is not being able to run anymore, like [Will]” (131).  As a full-grown adult, Mr. Halloway offers to us a glimpse into the world of adulthood and the depression, so to speak, that comes with age.  Seeing his son run around and do things that he once could do and now can not acts as yet another catalyst in this slow realization that age inhibits qualities and abilities that youth kept alive.  Will, in his youthful wisdom, notices his father’s unhappiness and asks him what he can do to make him happy once again.  Mr. Halloway longingly replies that he will only find true happiness if Will tells him that he will “live forever” (137). Bradbury not only stresses the importance of this raging internal conflict by referring to it numerous times but also by foiling Will to his father and juxtaposing Will's youthful wisdom to Mr. Halloway's pathetic desires and cliché reaction to the timeless tragedy of aging.