Zero Hour Themes

In “Zero Hour,” a short story written by Ray Bradbury, a group of aliens manipulates young children into helping the aliens invade the earth. Drill, the apparent leader of the aliens, convinces the impressionable children that Invasion is a game, and that the children can win if they successfully follow instructions and aid the aliens in coming to Earth. According to Drill, the rewards for winning the game are manifold: later bedtimes, two television…

In “Zero Hour,” Ray Bradbury depicts a perfect, cookie-cutter neighborhood in the suburbs of New York. However, amidst the meticulously manicured lawns and streets “lined with good green and peaceful trees,” a dangerous game called “Invasion” has cropped up, and every child in America under ten years old is in on it. According to Drill, the leader of the aliens, the goal of the game is for the children to help the aliens successfully…

Ray Bradbury’s “Zero Hour” depicts a picture-perfect suburban neighborhood in New York teeming with children, all playing game called “Invasion.” The game revolves around helping a group of aliens invade the earth. Parents across the nation—including seven-year-old Mink’s mother, Mrs. Morris—are unable to step out of their logic-driven mindsets and consider that the game is actually terrifyingly real, and that earth is on the brink of an alien invasion. Meanwhile, the children are…