"Jack-in-the-Box" is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

short story by American author

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

, first published as part of the 1947 short story collection '' Dark Carnival''. It was later collected in the magazine ''

Avon Fantasy Reader Cover of the eiteenth issue Avon published three related magazines in the late 1940s and early 1950s, titled ''Avon Fantasy Reader'', ''Avon Science Fiction Reader'', and ''Avon Science Fiction and Fantasy Reader''. These were digest size magazin ...

'' and the

anthologies In book publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed work ...

''Interplanet7: Fantascienza'', '' The Small Assassin'', ''Ghostly and Ghastly'', ''

The October Country ''The October Country'' is a 1955 collection of nineteen macabre short stories by American writer Ray Bradbury. It reprints fifteen of the twenty-seven stories of his 1947 collection '' Dark Carnival'', and adds four more of his stories previou ...

'', and ''

The Stories of Ray Bradbury ''The Stories of Ray Bradbury'' is an anthology containing 100 short stories by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published by Knopf in 1980. The hundred stories, written from 1943 to 1980, were selected by the author himself. Bradbury's work ...

''.

Plot summary

Living apart from the outside world, Edwin shares residence with his mother in a vast secluded mansion. She raises him to be god, telling him that his father, the original god, was killed by beasts from outside the estate, and that if he ever extricates himself he too will die. The beautiful estate they share is described as a complete fantasy world created by Mother and embellished by Edwin. It was all he ever knew and thus he lacked any reason to question his mother's version. Over the course of the story, Edwin explores his universe and the various secrets and mysteries it holds. Among them is a woman other than Mother who serves as his "teacher", who is actually his mother in disguise. No matter which rooms of his Universe he visits, Edwin uses their windows as portals to glimpse the world beyond. He is unsuccessful in this task until he discovers the door open to a forbidden room. Upon entry, he climbs the

spiral staircase Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

to the tower, and looks out the windows. In an experience reminiscent of the Biblical

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tri ...

, Edwin finally views the world beyond the Universe. He even fears blindness because of what he sees. In the end, soon after a joyful birthday party, Edwin discovers his collapsed mother motionless on the parlor floor. Unable to awaken her, Edwin finally leaves the only home he has ever known, symbolically "dying" and joyfully entering the outside world.

Reception

This story is viewed as a

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between t ...

gambit or classic

psychoanalytic PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might be ...

struggle, invoking as Bradbury's fiction often does,

Lacanian Jacques Marie Émile Lacan (, , ; 13 April 1901 – 9 September 1981) was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. Described as "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud", Lacan gave yearly seminars in Paris from 1953 to 1981, and pu ...

three orders 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 190 ...

of Imaginary, Symbolic and Real. It pits the protagonist and his being locked into the natural order of things will he join his mother's domain, ascend to her adjoining throne and accept her rules and assumptions against his journey to find an external world.

Attachment theory Attachment theory is a psychological, evolutionary and ethological theory concerning relationships between humans. The most important tenet is that young children need to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for normal ...

is insinuated into the story.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jack-in-the-Box 1947 short stories Fantasy short stories Science fiction short stories Short stories by Ray Bradbury

Plot summary

Reception

See also

References