Only two nuclear weapons have been detonated in human history, but their development and use have greatly influenced our culture. In the first paragraph of Paul Brains' article, in which he discusses nuclear war in science fiction, he succinctly and accurately summarizes public opinion on atomic energy during the 1950s. He states : “In other words, atomic energy is both alpha and omega; it offers both Armageddon and immortality. (253). The dichotomous view of atomic energy that Brains discusses is one of many cultural divisions in perception reflected in Bradbury's story "There Will Come Soft Rains." The story was also influenced by the times, the rapid advancement of technology, Bradbury's perception of himself as a writer, and the science fiction community's perception of the atomic bomb. “There Will Come Soft Rains” is a short story about an automated house that continues to operate after his family is killed in a nuclear attack. Although the attacker is never explicitly mentioned, the story's publication date and the location of the house suggest that the Cold War inspired the story. “There Will Come Soft Rains” was published in 1950, a year after the USSR acquired nuclear weapons and five years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Chartes, 172) (Bova, 52-53) . In the opening paragraphs of the story, the house mentions its location while informing the empty kitchen of the day's planned events: "Today is August 4, 2026," says a second voice from the kitchen ceiling , "in the town of Allendale, California." (Bradbury, 173) This detail supports the assertion that the Cold War inspired the story. At the time the story was written, U.S. intelligence suggested that the USSR would...... middle of paper ......ft Rains" is a snapshot of several divisions that existed in the culture at the time it was written. . The subject of the story was informed by the divide between optimism regarding new technologies resulting from the space race and fear of suffering the effects of nuclear war. The contrast between nature's will to survive and technology's execution of tasks is reflected in history and provides an important lesson about the omnipresence of technology. The general consensus on nuclear weapons in the science fiction genre motivated Bradbury's choice to deviate from the norm and treat it with more respect. Bradbury's disagreement with his cultural perception is evident in "There Will Come Soft Rains" when he incorporates elements of other genres into his work. “There Will Come Soft Rains” is the product of a tumultuous, culturally divided period..