Zero Hour

by

Ray Bradbury

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Zero Hour makes teaching easy.
Helen is Mrs. Morris’s friend who lives in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Her son, Tim, is also crazy about the Invasion game, which is the story’s first indication that something serious and widespread is going on. Like Mrs. Morris, Helen doesn’t take her child seriously and even goes so far as to say that “Parents learn to shut their ears” to their children’s rambling.
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Zero Hour PDF

Helen Character Timeline in Zero Hour

The timeline below shows where the character Helen appears in Zero Hour. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
“Zero Hour”
Impressionability and Manipulation Theme Icon
Adults vs. Children Theme Icon
Peace, War, and Alien Invasions Theme Icon
Imagination and Logic Theme Icon
At 4:00 P.M., Mrs. Morris receives a video call from her friend Helen, who lives in Pennsylvania. Both women admit they’re feeling tired because of their children. Sighing,... (full context)
Impressionability and Manipulation Theme Icon
Peace, War, and Alien Invasions Theme Icon
...“Japs and Nazis.” Mrs. Morris says she can’t believe her parents put up with her. Helen says that “Parents learn to shut their ears.” Mrs. Morris goes quiet, lost in thought.... (full context)
Impressionability and Manipulation Theme Icon
Adults vs. Children Theme Icon
Peace, War, and Alien Invasions Theme Icon
Imagination and Logic Theme Icon
Helen says her son, Tim, has a crush on a boy named Drill, and Mrs. Morris... (full context)
Impressionability and Manipulation Theme Icon
Adults vs. Children Theme Icon
...hour” is at 5:00 P.M., so she has to hurry. Still on the video call, Helen laughs and says that Tim was playing with the same yo-yo that morning but wouldn’t... (full context)
Adults vs. Children Theme Icon
Peace, War, and Alien Invasions Theme Icon
...intensifies, and the video phone begins to ring “insistently, alarmingly, violently.” Mrs. Morris thinks it’s Helen calling. (full context)