“The Rocket” is a short story by Ray Bradbury that appeared in his 1951 collection The Illustrated Man. It’s about a poor junkyard owner who’s saved enough money to replace his worn out equipment. He’s drawn to space and loves rockets. He hopes to ride one some day, or at least send his sons. Without enough money, his dreams seem destined to go unfulfilled. It can be read in the sample of Bradbury Stories (25% in). Here’s a summary of “The Rocket”.
“The Rocket” Summary
Fiorello Bodoni gets out of his small house at nights to watch the rockets soar into space. Tonight, an old man, Bramante, sits by the river. He enjoys the rockets as well. They started taking off eighty years ago but he’s never been on one.
Bodoni believes he will ride in one or his sons will. Bramante disagrees. The rockets, and other advances, are for the rich. They still live in shacks.
Bodoni has saved three thousand dollars for his business. Obsessed with the rockets, he decides that someone in his family will fly to Mars. Bramante insults Bodoni for this idea. Whoever gets to go will be resented by the rest of the family. They’ll be even more unhappy for missing out than they are now. He should use the money to buy a wrecking machine for his junkyard.
Bodoni is distracted at breakfast. He’s had a sleepless night and thinks Bramante is right. His three boys and two girls come in excitedly playing with a toy rocket and alien figures. Bodoni shouts at them, surprising everyone. He tells the family he has enough money to send only one of them on a rocket. Everyone wants to go, but they also defer to other members of the family.
They’ll draw straws; the shortest one goes. Maria, Bodoni’s wife, draws the short straw. The family congratulates her, but she sees the sadness in their eyes. She says she can’t go because there’s another child on the way. She forgot to mention it. They have to draw again.
Paolo draws the short straw. He gets the same reaction from everyone. He says school is starting so he can’t go. No one wants to draw anymore. Bramante was right.
Bodoni has a bad morning working in the junkyard with his poor equipment. In the afternoon, Mr. Matthews comes by with some scrap metal, a full-scale aluminum model of a rocket. He wants two thousand for it, but Bodoni can’t afford it. He couldn’t even melt it down if he bought it. Bodoni suddenly changes his mind and says to deliver it tonight.
That night, Bodoni admires the big rocket in his junkyard, even if it won’t fly. He sits in the pilot seat and moves the levers and controls. He hums loudly and constantly, and imagines taking off and seeing the cosmic sights.
He’s exhausted after this immersive imaginative experience, and disappointed that the rocket is incapable of doing anything. He’s about to turn his wrecking machine on it when he stops and thinks, looking at his house. He runs home and announces they’re going to Mars.
“The Rocket” Summary, Cont’d
The family looks at the rocket. The children are excited, but Maria is disappointed he’s spent their money on this useless shell. Rockets cost millions so this one couldn’t work. Bodoni assures her it will fly. He tells the children they’ll take off tomorrow and to keep it a secret.
Through the night, packages are delivered and Bodoni works. He installs nine old vehicle motors into the empty engine room and welds it shut.
Bodoni goes inside for breakfast. Maria has locked the children in the closet, fearing they’ll be killed in the rocket. He gets them out and they go to the rocket. Maria stays behind. Bodoni explains the situation to them. The rocket is fast but old. They’ll only be able to make one quick trip in it. They need to be alert and soak up every detail of the trip so they’ll remember it forever.
Bodoni straps the children in and fires up the engine. The children are excited as they see the moon pass by, then meteors and, hours later, they see Earth and Mars. They go to sleep. Bodoni sneaks to the airlock, opens it and steps into the junkyard.
Bodoni waves to Maria in the kitchen window. He hurries back inside, praying that the illusions he’s created with mirrors and screens will work properly. The children are excited as red Mars appears outside. It looks good and Bodoni is pleased.
On the seventh day, the rocket stops shuddering and Bodoni announces they’re home. The children are glowing as they go inside. If they figured out what he did, they never said anything about it.
Bodoni wakes late at night and Maria is watching him. She kisses him and tells him he’s the best father in the world. She understands now. Maybe some night he could take her on a little journey. Bodoni agrees that maybe he could.
I hope this summary of “The Rocket” by Ray Bradbury was helpful.