"The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury
Featured literary device: Message
There's always something the author is trying to convey. Since writing is a communicative act, words have different weight and meaning, which the author determines in order to help convey the message.
pedestrian short story.pdfQuestions to think about:
What is this story about?
What is the message?
What are the possible reasons that Leonard Mead does not fit into society?
Which point of view is used in this story?
Write a page in your journal about this prompt: your image of the future of this world.
Summary (click on the arrow on the right to see)
“The Pedestrian” is a short story that describes one night in the life of Leonard Mead, in the year 2053. Mead enjoys walking the city streets alone every night. He has done this for ten years and never met another person, since everyone remains inside their homes. He also talks to himself, asking under his breath what the people inside their homes are watching on television.
One night, Mead meets a robotic police car—the only one in the city, since crime is basically nonexistent. The car interrogates Mead, asking why he is out by himself. This questioning reveals that Mead doesn’t own a television, he is unmarried and lives alone, and he is a writer in a society that doesn’t value the art of writing. The car instructs Mead get in and states that he is being taken to a psychiatric institution to be studied. The car then drives away with Mead inside.
Message
Bradbury's message is that technology, while designed to make our lives easier, actually threatens our world.
In “The Pedestrian,” the citizens of the future city are described as being the same, scurrying around like insects during the day or entranced by their televisions at night. Leonard Mead is different from others but he does not feel lonely, even though he doesn't quite fit into society. He is taken away by technology which deems him as a possible threat to this "perfect" society.