dandelion wineeee

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury is a story about the summer that Douglas Spaulding goes through. He has many new experiences and many of the same experiences. The story does not center around the boy, but also dives into the lives of other characters living in Green Town that are just as interesting.

The chapters I found the most intriguing was Leo Auffman's happiness machine in chapter 13 and Colonel Freeleigh's final moment in chapter 25.

In chapter 13, Leo is determined to build the happiness machine that will grant anyone happiness. He asks his wife, Lena, for advice on what to implement and Lena calls him out for it. She tells him that it's pointless and that it won't work. Despite this, Leo still has a belief that he can pull it off so he takes the next two weeks building it. He sacrifices family time in order to do this. When he presents the machine to his family, he offers Lena to try it and she does. She can see many places in the machine such as Rome, London, and Paris. When she steps out, she tells Leo her opinion and it is not something Leo expected. Lena tells him that the machine only makes her sadder. It reminds her that she will never actually go to these places for herself. She sees many wonderful sights but they all hold sadness in them that it's only what she sees, she can't experience it for herself. This puts her husband in shock. He's in denial and wants to test it himself but it soon sets itself on fire. As the garage is burning down, Leo can only stare through the window at his family. It is then that he realizes the true happiness machine is his family.

In chapter 25, it opens up with Freeleigh waking up from a dream about the last apple falling off a tree. When his nurse walks in, she reminds him that he can't overexcite himself because it will affect his health. She mentions Douglas's group of friends and the phone calls he makes to Mexico City. Freeleigh tells the nurse that it's worth it even though it jeopardizes his health. He wants to feel and be alive. The nurse threatens to take the phone away and shut the kids out for the sake of the Colonel and exits. Freeleigh gets up in his seat as soon as she leaves and runs over to the phone. He hasn't ran in a long time. He collapses on the floor in the process. He rings the person from Mexico City and asks them to open the window for him one last time. He loves listening to the noises outside the city because it reminds him of nature and life. The person reluctantly agrees and Freeleigh dies listening to the sounds that he has always enjoyed. The chapter ends when Douglas and his friends walk in through the door and see the dead man. When Douglas picks the phone up off the floor, all he hears is the sound of a window closing.

- In both of these stories, the most effective tool in Bradbury's writing is his message about the human condition and the tone that follows with it. Sometimes, people don't realize that the things that make them happy are right in front of them. They find every opportunity to find other sources of happiness, ignoring their own. This notion is told thoroughly in Leo Auffman's story. It explains the nature of humans well. Freeleigh's chapter also explains human nature well too. His chapter is saying that humans will hurt themselves trying to get what they want the most, even if it is simple. It shows sacrifice. The use of character development is also at its key strength here because Leo and Freeleigh are interesting characters. Their personalities and how they act shape what their values and beliefs are and I quite like them.