All Summer In A Day

Margot is a nine-year-old girl whose “frail” looks echo her shy and sad demeanor: “She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost” (Paragraph 24). Bradbury implies that Margot’s washed-out appearance and general timidity stem from her family’s relocation to Venus; unlike her classmates, Margot was born on and remembers Earth, and she has therefore struggled to make peace with life on Venus (particularly the lack of sunlight). Her outsider status and obvious unhappiness also make her a target for bullies, like the ones who lock her in a closet just before the rain stops. Although the students’ experiences in the sunshine ultimately vindicate Margot, it is unclear what the long-term consequences of their prior abuse will be; the fact that Margot has stopped trying to escape by the time the other students free her suggests that, in missing the brief window of sunlight, Margot has lost all hope.

William is a nine-year-old boy and one of Margot’s classmates. He repeatedly takes a lead role in bullying Margot, encouraging other students to join him in mocking and harassing her; it’s also his idea to lock her in