"Something Wicked this Way Comes" By: Ray Bradbury

Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway are thirteen years old in Illinois, and late in October, they discover a carnival coming to town. They go to the carnival for fun, and as it ends for the day, Jim and Will meet Mr. Dark – a man covered in tattoos. Mr. Dark tells the kids to go home, but they watch him as he rides the “Out of order” carousel, which the music plays backwards and Mr. Dark steps off at the age of twelve. His partner Mr. Cooger rides the carousel too, and goes to Jim and Will’s teacher Miss Foley and pretends to be her lost nephew. Overdrawn with excitement, Jim goes back to the carnival hoping to grow old, but they then return home without the chance. That night, they fight and vanquish the witch that tries to kill them, after Will’s father Charles Halloway finds out that the carnival can only be stopped by happiness, and so Charles, Will and Jim start an epic quest that truly reflects the battles of good and evil.
It is obvious that the general, overall conflict of “Something Wicked this Way Comes” is good versus evil. The only way to defeat Mr. Dark and the unnatural carousel is by being unified and happy, for the carnival is evil. Mr. Halloway eventually humiliates the witch to death, and he and Will both laugh and dance, brining Jim back to life after he dies. Also throughout the novel, Charles Halloway is a bit depressed and insecure within himself, but he must face himself, and accept the person he is at age fifty-four.
As we look over these conflicts, you can pinpoint the themes as well. Manifestly, the main theme definitely is that good will always conquer evil. Good, happiness, and comfort are qualities much more valuable than depression, sadness, and hopelessness. Positivity is the key to a successful life, and negativity will only make your life worse. Also, Charles Halloway’s personal theme is that self discovery and comfort with yourself is important as well. Through the acts Mr. Halloway does in order to destroy the carnival, he becomes familiar and accepting of his own body, age and life. He no longer is put down about his lack of energy, and he is still willing to be happy and helpful when it comes to Will, his son.
Overall, I think I like “Something Wicked this Way Comes” more than I dislike it. Throughout the book, piece by piece the story was confusing. I put the chapters together when I was done, and the verdict is a thumbs up. Battles between pure good and pure evil interest me, and it helps me realize the importance of happiness, for I, and everyone struggles to be jovial. The chapters are nice and short, which gives me a more sense of accomplish when it comes to literary progression. However, some things I did not like. One example being how Charles Halloway delivers a long, deep, inspiring, meaningful monologue when someone asks a simple question. Maybe this disappoints me only because people usually do not talk like that in the twenty-first century. Besides that, this book is very interesting. Although the situation is not one hundred percent on my tip of obsession, the conflict is good, thus definitely being a recommendable novel.