Ray Bradbury Knew How to Stop the Demons Behind the Circus (Spoiler Alert)
One reason the Harris/Walz campaign is so magical
In Ray Bradbury’s novel SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES two precocious boys, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, find themselves exploring the macabre world of a band of enslaved souls who must do the bidding of a demonic circus ringmaster, Mr. Dark. The boys play and discover secrets of the circus that endanger their lives and that entice Jim towards the dark arts and the possibility of wielding the power of control over his destiny, including death. These dark arts are all about control of the minds and bodies of weak people whose deepest desires make them vulnerable to manipulation.
Charles Halloway is an older father who is infirm and has a weak heart. He has lost confidence and doesn’t feel up to the task of guiding the young boys. Charles gets caught in the web of a Gypsy witch and nearly loses his life as her spell begins to slow his heart. Meanwhile the boys have been captured psychologically and have no free will. Halloway escapes by depowering the witch’s spell with laughter - he laughs at her.
Mr. Dark offers Jim the possibility of riding the carousel-of-time forward in order to become a powerful young man, and even a partner in the circus. In the last big show of the carnival run Halloway wins again against the witch using his smile to unnerve her. The witch has power as long as she is scary; but when Halloway sees her as ridiculous and absurd, she loses her power over him.
This novel about defeating the dark carnival could be seen as a metaphor for the collapse of the MAGA circus. Isn’t that what’s happening now? Isn’t the infectious laughter of Harris (and Walz) loosening the death grip Trump has held over the Democrats? The change since Harris has emerged as the nominee has been described as something magical, especially given the short amount of time she has had to mount her campaign.
Laughing in the face of illness and death is a time honored remedy for what ails us. Donald Trump is bothered by Kamala Harris’ laughter. He criticizes her for her laugh, and he calls her crazy, but his insults find no purchase. Harris is unfazed by the spell Trump tries to weave around her. She laughs, her crowds laugh, her running mate laughs and lauds the joy that has been brought back to the nation. It’s magical, it’s mythical, it’s healing. Something wicked has been neutralized. (ká)MALA - Make America Laugh Again!