The Halloween Tree

“Anyone could see that the wind was a special wind this night, and the darkness took on a special feel because it was All Hallows’ Eve.”

Bradbury establishes the setting of Halloween night with descriptive prose in Chapter 1. By using a variety of sensory details, Bradbury emphasizes the importance of the Halloween/autumn setting to what happens in the story and creates an atmosphere of anticipation.

“Tom Skelton put on his bones.”

This line refers to Tom donning his Halloween costume. On a symbolic level, it suggests the central theme of The Need to Recognize Mortality. Tom functions as an everyman, and his skeleton costume is a reminder of the reality of death for all human beings.

“Come on, Pipkin. Come out and save the Night!”

The boys’ thoughts as they approach Pipkin’s house emphasize their closeness to him, gesturing toward the theme of The Power of Friendship. Pipkin is so important to the boys that he embodies the spirit of fun and Halloween. By placing this line at the end of Chapter 1, Bradbury signals that finding Pipkin will be the central problem of the book.