Analysis
The short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury follows a chronological structure presenting the actions of a technological house in the absence of humans. At the beginning, the author skilfully suggests the absence of humans through foreshadowing elements.
The story does not feature any human characters. The only living character is the family dog. The robotic house becomes the main character in the story, depicted through personifications which make the house human-like. However, the house only mimics human behaviour, because it is a piece of machinery.
The setting of the story is a post-apocalyptic world in which humans have been killed by a nuclear bomb which hit the American state of California. The main setting is the only surviving automated house which continues to perform tasks as programmed. The social setting explores aspects related to the potential consequences of technological advancement.
The story is told by a third-person narrator who has advanced information about what happens and presents the action as an observer. The narrator is subjective, including judgments about what is happening in the story.
The language of the story makes use of numerous similes and descriptive words along with a few metaphors to show the atmosphere and the setting. Personification plays a key role in the story. In the absence of human characters, the house receives human attributes so that its downfall mirrors the deaths of its human inhabitants (an event which is not directly depicted in the story).