Dark They Were, and Golden Eyed

By the end of the story, Harry appears to have happily adopted the Martian way of life. In what ways, if any, does the story suggest this change might not be a good thing? Was Harry’s earlier resistance warranted?

In addition to writing short stories, Ray Bradbury was also a Hollywood screenwriter. What elements of the story’s form, style, imagery, or other features show similarities to film?

In many ways, Harry is the head of a patriarchal nuclear family. Does anything in the story question or threaten Harry’s position as the leader of the family? How do Cora, the children, or other characters challenge this depiction of Harry?

The story takes place against a backdrop of nuclear war on Earth. How does this context contribute to the story’s themes?

Describe the relationship between the Earth settlement and the Martian environment around it. How is each characterized as different from the other, and how do they interact?

Bradbury was quoted as saying that it did not matter to his fiction whether intelligent life ever actually existed on Mars, as his real interest was in how the idea of Mars allows people to explore what it means to be human. What does that idea of the “Martian” in this story suggest about the meaning of humanity?

The characters pick up elements of Martian language spontaneously, as if from the Martian landscape itself. What does this suggest about language and the power of names?

What images or metaphors does the text use to suggest time and its passage?

What is the relationship between time and human society?