Marionettes, Inc.

The narrative of “Marionettes, Inc.” is recounted from a third person limited omniscient perspective, offering readers insights into the thoughts and emotions of specific characters. The story opens with a lengthy dialogue between the two main characters, Braling and Smith. Small details from this conversation signal that the narrative is set in the future. While the story was first published in 1949, Braling reveals that he originally planned to visit Rio in 1979, approximately 10 years earlier. The revelation that Braling is traveling to Rio on a rocket conveys that this is an era where advanced technology is freely available. These details prepare readers for the later introduction of a highly sophisticated humanoid marionette.

Braling and Smith’s discussion largely focuses on their marriages and complaints about their wives. The characters are sounding boards for one another’s grievances as Smith points out the misery Braling endures, and vice versa. The theme of Marriage Versus Individual Desires is introduced as it emerges that both characters perceive their marriages as confining. Braling portrays his wife as hostile and controlling while Smith describes Nettie as suffocatingly affectionate. Smith’s implication that Mrs. Braling coerced his friend into marriage threatening a rape allegation seems to confirm her controlling nature. The symbol of Rio is established in the discussion of Braling’s aborted trip in 1979. The city represents Braling’s pursuit of personal dreams and happiness, underlining the fact that Mrs. Braling stood in the way of them then, and apparently continues to do so. Braling’s oppression by his wife also appears to be corroborated by the revelation that it is his “first night out in years” (65), and he has still returned home early.

In the early stages of the narrative, Braling is presented as a downtrodden yet honorable man. Despite his desperation for a night out, he argues it “would be unethical” to put sleeping tablets in his wife’s coffee (66). Meanwhile, Smith’s dialogue conveys a certain arrogance. Compared to Braling’s seemingly valid complaints about a wife who hates him but trapped him in marriage, Smith’s gripe that Nettie loves him too much appears ungrateful. His suggestion that Nettie may be “a little simple-minded” diminishes his wife on the basis that her enduring affection is unnatural (66). The irony of Smith’s assertion “My wife loves me so much she can’t bear to have me gone an hour” is later revealed in the story’s first plot twist (71).

The introduction of Braling Two generates mystery, bringing an element of science fiction to the story. Braling Two represents artificial control, a central concern of the narrative. Braling purchases the marionette as a means of regaining control over his life while avoiding conflict with his wife. By acquiring a surrogate for his presence, Braling believes that he can pursue his individual desires while also keeping Mrs. Braling happy. As the marionette is so convincing, he feels that Braling Two replaces the need for his presence: “The marionette is me to the hairiest detail. I’ve been home all evening. I shall be home with her for the next month” (70). However, Bradbury infers that by applying this “quick fix” to his marriage, Braling bypasses the necessary challenges involved in sustaining authentic human connections. Instead of talking honestly to his wife, he takes the extraordinary measure of paying thousands of dollars for a substitute self. Braling also fails to see that, in his attempt to liberate himself from his wife’s control, he is also employing manipulative and controlling tactics. Braling’s revelation that he keeps Braling Two in a box in the basement establishes the story’s lock and key motif, representing secrets, deceit, and concealed desires. Readers are encouraged to reassess Braling’s character and his values as he defends his actions and asserts that he considers the solution to his problems “highly ethical.” The narrative unfolds with irony, juxtaposing the seemingly ideal solution of the marionette with the unforeseen complications that later arise.

With the shift to Smith’s point of view as he returns home, the narrative builds to its first climax. Earlier hints of Smith’s lack of respect for his wife are confirmed by his plan to pay for a marionette from the joint account without informing Nettie. His double standards are also illustrated in his indignation on discovering Nettie has spent ten thousand dollars without consulting him. Bradbury creates situational irony in the moment when Smith listens to Nettie’s heartbeat. While the mechanical ticking of Braling Two’s chest prompted awed delight in Smith earlier in the narrative, the repetition of the sound in his wife evokes horror and desolation. Smith’s discovery that Nettie has substituted herself with a marionette prompts readers to reassess everything they learned about her character via her husband. Smith’s assertions that she doted on him in a “simple-minded” manner are shown to be completely inaccurate, emphasizing the subjectivity of Smith’s viewpoint on his marriage. Nettie’s actions also underline the theme of Marriage Versus Individual Desires, demonstrating that it is not only the male characters who crave freedom. The “terror and the loneliness” that overwhelms Smith on the discovery also underlines the complexities of human desires (74). While Smith believed he wanted freedom from his wife, he is devastated to realize that she feels the same way.

Following this climactic plot twist, readers might expect the story’s final paragraphs to incorporate falling action and a resolution. However, Bradbury subverts these expectations by building to a second climax in Braling Two’s confrontation with Braling. The narrative takes a further dark turn as Braling Two articulates his dissatisfaction with his confinement stating, “Marionettes are made to move, not lie still” (75). It becomes apparent that, like the human he was designed to replicate, Braling Two possesses emotions and unfulfilled desires. His unexpected confession that he loves Mrs. Braling and wants to take her to Rio blurs the lines between human and artificial feelings. The dawning realization that Braling Two intends to permanently assume Braling’s identity underlines the unforeseen dangers of technology.

In the story’s final paragraph, Mrs. Braling’s surprise at her husband’s affectionate kiss confirms that Braling Two has fulfilled his threat of locking Braling in the basement box. Situational irony is again utilized as Braling, who sought to escape the restrictions of marriage is now physically confined. Mrs. Braling’s response to the kiss suggests that, far from hating her husband, she craved affection from him. Bradbury presents the unsettling and ironic possibility that Mrs. Braling will be happier with the technological replacement for her husband, as Braling Two is more capable of fulfilling her need for intimacy. This twist highlights the potential repercussions of manipulating human relationships through cutting-edge technology.