Test Essay

House/Henry

How can a house compare to a person? It may not seem possible but in this case it is. In the story There Will Be Soft Rains the house becomes the main character, because it shows such human qualities like speaking, doing chores and much more. The house, which is the main character in There Will Be Soft Rains, is very similar to the character Henry from California’s Tale both going on with there everyday activities even though they are all alone. Each character believes that there are still people around them; the house thinks that there are people there when really the voice coming from the speakers around the house are really echoing around the house with no response. Henry’s wife died 19 years ago and he still believe she is alive and just on her way home from visiting family.
A difference with these two characters is as readers we know there are no people in the town, but in the California Tale whether or not Henry believes his wife is alive all year round or just the time she had went to go visit her family when she died, leaves questions in the minds of the readers.
Both stories share the same theme, the meaning of home. In the case of The California Tale Henry’s meaning of home is the way his wife left it before she died, because he still feels her presence around her. Which is the way Henry feels most comfortable. For the theme of There will be Soft Rains the house goes on with the daily activities because that is what it is most comfortable doing.
When reading both the stories you probably wouldn’t think they were similar at all, when in fact they are very much alike. Yes they are at completely different settings but the theme, and the characters are extremely similar.