# Mr. Stanley — Short Fiction character guide

> Mr. Stanley in Short Fiction by Ray Bradbury.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Stanley, Mister Stanley

**First appearance:** 0005-the-monster-maker

## Snapshot

A dogged crusader against the Rocket, he argues that science cures cancer while preserving greed, and that humanity needs a toy for the mind, not the stars.

## Who they are

Stanley stands outside the launch barrier as the crowd he's trying to save howls for his blood, a lone dissenter who thought laws would control the Rocket until the corporations smiled, bided their time, and pulled the legislation the morning of the flight. He wants a slow, three-century expansion, not a leap; he knows his son Tommy will hate him for this. His stubborn, unfashionable conscience gives the story its central friction between caution and the itch to leave Earth.

## In the story

### [Rocket Summer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_46_se/chapters/rocket-summer)

The protagonist who tries to stop the rocket launch, arguing for ethical control of technology.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_46_se/characters/mr_stanley
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_46_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_46_se/characters