The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury Quiz

The Pedestrian (1951) by Ray Bradbury

• Setting: November evening in a futuristic city (2053), specifically focusing on Mr. Leonard Mead's nightly walk.
• Main Character: Mr. Leonard Mead, a man who enjoys solitary walks at night.
• Plot Summary: Mr. Mead, a pedestrian in a future society dominated by technology and home entertainment, enjoys taking walks at night in his city. This act is increasingly viewed as an unusual and possibly criminal activity. As he walks, he observes an empty and silent city, contrasting with the bustling activity of the past. He encounters a single police car, which stops and arrests him.
• Social Commentary: The story critiques the societal shift towards a technologically driven, sedentary lifestyle. It highlights the diminishing importance of human interaction and individual freedom in a high-tech, entertainment-obsessed society.
• Contrast: The story juxtaposes the quiet solitude of Mr. Mead's walk with the bustling scene of the town during daylight, where highways are full of cars and noise.
• Police interaction: A lone police car stops Mr. Mead, questioning and arresting him for "walking".
• Arrest Reason: The act of walking alone at night is perceived as suspicious and possibly criminal in the story's dystopian world.
• Arrest Procedure: The police use a metallic, impersonal voice to take Mr. Mead into custody. The police car seemingly operates according to automated procedures, with no visible police officers.
• Destination: The police car takes him to a Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies, highlighting the society's perception of independent thought and leisure as abnormal.

Author's Style

• Imagery: The story uses vivid and descriptive imagery to portray the futuristic setting, highlighting the contrasts between light and dark, silence and noise, and activity and inactivity.
• Symbolism: The story uses symbolism to represent various concepts, such as nighttime walks symbolizing the value of leisure time and freedom and the lack of pedestrians symbolizing a society abandoning human interaction.
• Poetic language: Bradbury uses poetic language throughout, emphasizing the quiet contemplation and reflection that occur during Mr. Mead's walks.
• Dystopian elements: The story presents a dystopian view of the future, where technology has supplanted human connection and personal freedom.
• Tone: The story has a contemplative and melancholic tone, as it portrays a society that has lost its appreciation for the simple joys of life, like walking or getting to know the world around it.