Caution: You Contained within Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes

Caution: You Contained within Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes


The Oxford Pocket Dictionary and Thesaurus defines narcissism as an excessive or erotic interest in one's self. This definition can be directly applied to one of the main characters in Ray Bradbury's novel, "Something Wicked This Way Comes." Charles Halloway, a father and husband, is completely involved within himself. Unlike most who struggle with narcissism, Charles does not have an inflated ego; rather, his focus is on the areas in which he believes he is incapable of effectively communicating and interacting with his family in the way that he desires. His focus evolves mainly from his belief that he can no longer effectively relate, therefore, rendering him incapable of participating in his wife or son's life. Charles' paralyzing sense of narcissism symbolized in the novel by a popular attraction in the traveling carnival, the mirror maze.
As mentioned, Charles' narcissism prevents him from having the s...