In "There Will Come Soft Rains," the theme can be summarized as technology replacing humans and vice versa. Do you agree?

Well, I definitely agree that a key theme to this
excellent short story is the way that technology has replaced, or perhaps it is more
accurate to say outlived, humans. However, I find it hard to see how a theme of humans
replacing technology can be extracted from this story.

Let
us remember that we are presented with a level of unprecedented technological
sophistication in this story. From the very first sentence, it is clear that mankind has
reached new heights of scientific knowledge in this world which they have applied to
make their lives easier. The house is able to manage itself completely, ironically
without the need for humans at all:

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Out of warrens in the wall, tiny robot mice
darted. The rooms were acrawl with the small cleaning animals, all rubber and metal.
They thudded against chairs, whirling their mustached runners, kneading the rug nap,
sucking gently at hidden dust. Then, like mysterious invaders, they popped into their
burrows. Their pink electric eyes faded. The house was
clean.

And yet perhaps this
is precisely why Bradbury creates such a world. The story, because it contains no human
characters, operates as an ironic reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of human
nature. It also functions as a warning about the dangers of technology. After all, it is
the same technology that has created the self-governing house above that is responsible
for the creation of nuclear weapons that has resulted in the extinction of mankind.
Bradbury forces us to confront hard questions about the use of our cleverness if it is
not moderated or seen in context with our intense vulnerability in the natural
world.