Story Events
This planet becomes the Bittering family's new home.
What is Mars
Harry's unfinished rocket represents his hope of returning to this place.
What is Earth.
Harry discovers that his roses are turning this unexpected color.
What is green
Harry forces himself to act happy at breakfast. His behavior suggests that he is hiding this emotion.
What is fear.
Harry's comparison of himself to a salt crystal uses "like", making it this type of figurative language.
What is a simile.
This disaster on Earth destroys the rockets and leaves the settlers stranded.
What is atomic war
The settlers' changing eye color serves as a visible sign of this larger process.
What is their transformation into Martians.
The settlers' eyes gradually become this color.
What is yellow/gold.
Harry reassures Laura that rockets will return even though he is terrified. This suggests he wants to give his daughter this.
What is reassurance or hope.
Describing wind being a river that submerges the house is this type of comparison.
What is a metaphor.
Harry begins building this because he wants to return to Earth.
What is a rocket
Taking Martian names suggests that the children are accepting this.
The family swims in these artificial waterways.
What are the canals.
Harry breaks the mirror after seeing gold in his eyes. This suggests that he struggles to accept this discovery.
What is that he is changing.
Describing fear as an unwanted partner gives it human qualities. This technique has this name.
What is personification.
Harry insists on eating food from this storage appliance because the food came from Earth.
What is a DeepFreeze
The family gradually loses interest in Earth possessions. This supports the idea that changes in identity can also change these.
The settlers leave their Earth-build town to live in these cooler Martian homes in the hills.
What are the villas.
Cora believes her eyes have always been yellow. This suggests that Mars may be changing this part of her mind.
What is her memory.
Comparing Harry's bones to melted gold suggests that his body can undergo this process.
What is being reshaped or transformed.
This many years pass before a rescue rocket arrives from Earth
What is 5 years
The settlers arrive intending to change Mars but Mars changes them. This reversal supports this theme about people and their surroundings.
What is that an environment can shape people's identities.
The setting creates conflict because the Martian environment gradually changes these two parts of the settlers.
What are their minds and bodies.
Harry silently protests but he agrees to postpone the rocket building. This suggests that his is gradually losing this.
What is his determination to escape or resist the changes.
The image of Harry dissolving like salt suggests that he fears losing this, beyond his physical appearance.
What is his Earth identity.