A Review of Something Wicked This Way Comes

Ray Bradbury was well known for his science fiction novels as well as several films. He used small town settings in many of his books and often wrote through the eyes of young boys. Something Wicked This Way Comes went through several phases before becoming a best-selling novel. 

The Black Ferris was a ten page short story about two boys and a wicked carnival. When looking for ideas for a screenplay, he came across this story and expanded it to make a partial screenplay entitled Dark Carnival. Although this movie never found financing, Bradbury spent the next five years expanding the story once again, this time into the famous novel. Ironically, the book that was based on a screenplay became so popular that it was rewritten into a different screenplay and bought by Disney, who produced the movie (Bradbury 292).

Evil carnivals and magical carousels may seem like things of fantasy, but the themes and symbols expressed in Something Wicked This Way Comes are very real. Throughout this novel, the protagonists are forced to overcome difficulties that teach them important lessons. Specifically, Will Halloway, Jim Nightshade, and Will’s father, Charles Halloway, struggle against a mysterious carnival which represents evil and uses fear and greed to feed off the desires of others. In the end, the only way to defeat the evil entity was through acceptance—of the carnival, of oneself, and of life itself. The protagonists also learn that age is less important than one’s love for life. Lastly, the novel emphasizes the need to be flexible with the unexpected obstacles life produces.