The Other Foot

“The Other Foot” by American author Ray Bradbury is a short story that uses the conventions of science fiction and the structure of a modern parable to tackle themes of revenge, empathy, racism, individual and group identity, and forgiveness. The story was first published in New-Story Magazine: The Monthly Magazine for the Short Story and republished as part of Bradbury’s short-story collection, The Illustrated Man (1951). It follows the words and actions of a community of Black humans living on Mars as they prepare to confront the first white man to visit Mars in 20 years, after a nuclear war has rendered Earth largely uninhabitable.

Attempts to end segregation or win equal rights for Black Americans were often met with accusations that, if Black Americans had the opportunity, they would surely seek revenge for their centuries of mistreatment. In “The Other Foot”, Bradbury presents a Black society suddenly confronted with the arrival of a lone white man and asks the question: how will they respond when the shoe is on the other foot?

This study guide refers to the version of the text that is freely available on Lecturia.org.

Content Warning: “The Other Foot” contains extensive discussion of racial violence, including lynching, as well as references to a global nuclear war and mass death.