Ray Bradbury’s short story, “The Foghorn,” should stay in the 8th grade curriculum because of his use of metaphor that gives the reader a deeper understanding of comparison, characterization, so the reader can infer the character’s past, and mood that is strongly felt through imagery in the story. McDunn is developed through characterization, which allows the reader to learn about his past through inference. McDunn trains Johnny to run the lighthouse and prepares him by warning him of the isolation to come. During the few months of constantly working in the lighthouse, the workers only get to leave once in a while. McDunn says, “It’s a lonely life, but you’re used to it now aren’t …show more content…
The life of McDunn is being described as lonely from the beginning. McDunn spends the majority of his year in a lighthouse only being able to communicate with one person. In his own words, McDunn states that he is lonely, and he is trying to relate the feelings he has to Johnny’s. Inferences are being made by the reader regarding McDunn’s life before the lighthouse. During the night, McDunn begins to tell Johnny the story of the monster. McDunn says to Johnny, “That’s life for you. Someone always waiting for someone who doesn’t come home” (326). The reader is able to understand that McDunn is telling a story that he made up about the monster. The inference that someone left McDunn can be made because he is comparing himself to the monster through prier events in his life. He proves this inference when the lighthouse is destroyed and the monster disappears. McDunn feels connected to the monster; therefore, he tries to protect it. He reveals that “It’s gone back to the Deeps. It’s learned you can’t love anything too much in this world” (328). The reader is able to realize the true reasons for McDunn’s loneliness.