There Will Come Soft Rains Characters

The house—an artificially intelligent, automated machine—is the main character of the story. Despite being inhuman, it has a complex personality. The house’s character traits are embodied by the different machines inside it (some of which… read analysis of The House

The dog—the story’s only living character—appears on the house’s doorstep at noon, shivering. The house recognizes it and lets the dog in, which suggests that it was once the family pet. The story goes… read analysis of The Dog

The clock is part of the machinery of the house, but it features so prominently that it is a character in its own right. The clock demonstrates a solicitous attitude—it is afraid no one… read analysis of Clock

These mice, which are part of the house’s machinery, display the house’s dark side. Like the clock, they seem innocent enough at first, and they are quite useful, since they are able to… read analysis of Robot Mice

This is the family that lived in the house before the nuclear explosion (they are dead before the story begins but referenced throughout). The white silhouettes of the McClellan father, mother, son, and daughter appear… read analysis of The McClellan Family

Fire is portrayed as a clever and worthy adversary of the house. Even when snake-like tubes release fire repellant, the flames wrap around the outside of the house and attack the attic (the house’s… read analysis of Fire