“And it was the afternoon of Halloween. And all the houses shut against a cool wind. And the town full of cold sunlight. But suddenly, the day was gone. Night came out from under each tree and spread.” — Ray Bradbury, “The Halloween Tree”
Today, we begin reading a true delight of fiction: The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. It’s actually a kid/young adult novel, but Bradbury writes like Bradbury, and the themes in his books often veer toward the adult side of life, from the horrible contraptions in Something Wicked This Way Comes to the awful plight of many characters in his short stories. Things can be grim.
Likewise, there is a certain amount of grimness in this story, too, but I would be disappointed with a book about Halloween if it wasn’t at least a little grim.
Brief Synopsis:
“The Halloween Tree” tells the tale of a group of boys on Halloween night. They travel to an ancient (ostensibly haunted) house on the edge of town and meet a man named Moundshroud who takes them on an adventure through the history of Halloween.
Chapter 1:
Chapter one opens with an intense description of the most Halloweeny town on planet Earth, which happens to be in my neck of the woods (aka some part of “a Midwest state”).
As Bradbury tells us of this autumnal heaven: “The wind outside nested in each tree, prowled the sidewalks in invisible treads like unseen cats.”
The first character to emerge is Tom Skelton, who is dressed like a skeleton for his Halloween romp through the town. He is soon joined by seven other boys, each dressed differently: a witch, a ghost, an apeman, a skeleton, a gargoyle, a beggar, a mummy, and death itself.
They venture to their friend Pipkin’s house, but tonight Pipkin is sick, which worries the boys.
“Come out,” the boys say. “Come out and save the Night!” (Bradbury).
Chapter 2:
Pipkin, as it turns out, is the greatest child ever known to man. As Bradbury tells us, he was “the grandest boy who ever fell out of a tree and laughed at the joke. The finest boy who ever raced around the track, winning, and then, seeing his friends a mile back somewhere, stumbled and fell…” In other words, he is the heart of children. A goof, a buffoon, a wonder of childlike ambition and bravery.
So, of course, his absence is missed, and the boys spend this chapter talking about his exploits, though not explicitly through words but through their thoughts and ruminations.
As Bradbury states: “Any moment now that door would open wide. Pipkin would jump out in a blast of fire and smoke. And Halloween would REALLY begin!” (Bradbury).
Chapter 3:
In the next instant, Pipkin emerges from his home, and the boys are surprised to see that he does not emerge triumphantly but rather “like an old man, almost.”
Though clearly fatigued, Pipkin promises to meet them for trick-or-treating. The boys all agree to Pipkin’s assertion but are a little let down due to his absent exuberance. Pipkin tells them to go to the ravine and head for the house.
The boys leave, somewhat sad. Yet, it was Halloween night, so the boys take off into the night to enjoy what time they have. As they are described: “They banged doors, they shouted ‘Trick or Treat,’ and their brown paper bags began to fill with incredible sweets” (Bradbury).
They ran to the ravine, filling it “with varieties of night sounds…lingers of autumns that rolled over in fire and bronze and died a thousand years ago.” Eventually, they make it to the precipice of the house and ravine and plunge forward toward their destination.
Chapter 4:
Next, they venture to the house, which “was special and fine and tall and dark” with “a thousand windows in its sides,” and it “looked as if it had been cut out of black marble.” It was a haunted house in so many words. Abstract and cut from an otherworldly cloth.
As Bradbury states: “The house beckoned with its towers, invited with its gummed-shut doors. Pirate ships are a tonic. Ancient forts are a boon… Eight small hearts beat up an absolute storm of glory and approbation” (Bradbury).
After knocking on the door (with a Jacob Marley knocker), the boys are confronted by an ancient man who had an “evil smile” and who tells the boys that there is “only—trick!” at his premises before slamming the door on them.
It is then that they investigate the titular tree outside. The tree “was hung with a variety of pumpkins of every shape and size and a number of tints and hues of smoky yellow or bright orange” (Bradbury). A litany of pumpkins festoon the branches, and the boys look on in disbelief.
Chapter 5:
The boys continue investigating The Halloween Tree when a song begins that describes the tree in its entirety. “The leaves have turned to gold and red” the voices sing, and they inform the boys that all the pumpkins “cut and glimmer on the Halloween Tree” (Bradbury).
At this time, the boys are met with the reason for the season: “Celebration,” as a voice tells them. Suddenly, their host appears.
“…coming out of the pile of leaves was a bony white hand, all by itself. And following it, all smiles, hidden one moment but now revealed as it slid upward, was a white skull.”
The figure tells them his name: Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud. In so many ways, Moundshroud begins his journey as chaperone for the boys on Halloween night. He beckons them to the “Undiscovered Country,” which is actually past Halloweens throughout time. And though the boys wish to travel with him, they worry about Pipkin’s whereabouts. Just then, though sick, the boy Pipkin appears, and they venture onward together.
Analysis:
The first five chapters of “The Halloween Tree” introduce us to the characters that we will interact with for the remainder of the story. Bradbury does a great job with characters and an even better job with feelings. We feel the fall in these chapters. His sense of atmosphere and understanding of what a Midwest fall is as a special thing is incomparable to any other writer.
The story to this point is about youth and youth in the exuberant times of holiday. Halloween is a special time for children, and Bradbury captures their excitement and lust for a spooky autumn evening. It’s beautifully imagined and executed here.
Works Cited:
Bradbury, Ray. “The Halloween Tree.” Random House, 1972.
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