Ray Bradbury's 'The Pedestrian': Analysis
The Pedestrian
The Pedestrian is a short story by Ray Bradbury. The theme of the short story is all about technology in which it deals with the dangers living in a society which is not only reliant on technology, but uses technology to control its citizens and to destroy those individuals who dare to exercise freedom of expression.
At the start of the short story the writer sets the scene for the reader, both in time and place but also by describing the kind of society that exists in the future world. In the short story the writer writes,
“For long ago he had wisely changed his to sneakers”
This quote makes me think that the pedestrian used to be scared to be seen out at night and wouldn’t want to get noticed. But now he’s gotten over his fears and he will do what he wants and doesn’t care who sees.
In the second section of the story the silence of the streets is dramatically broken by the introduction of the police car and in the way it stop Mead and calls him into account. The fact that he alone is being confronted by the one remaining police car increases a growing sense of the pedestrian’s isolation. Evidence to show this is what the police car orders the pedestrian to do,
“Stand still, stay where you are! Don’t move!”
In this quote, the pedestrian has been commanded to stop and obey the police car. Here, it seems as if the pedestrian is helpless and can’t do anything but obey that police cars instructions. This relates back to the theme of the story and how technology has taken over every other civilian in the city and now it is about to get the last free pedestrian and soon he will be just like every other helpless person sat like the dead in their homes.
As the story continues, we see how vulnerable the pedestrian is when he is confronted by the power of the state. During the interrogation, we are made aware of just how cold and adamant the voice of authority is. While the pedestrian is being interrogated the writer writes,
“The light held him
The Pedestrian is a short story by Ray Bradbury. The theme of the short story is all about technology in which it deals with the dangers living in a society which is not only reliant on technology, but uses technology to control its citizens and to destroy those individuals who dare to exercise freedom of expression.
At the start of the short story the writer sets the scene for the reader, both in time and place but also by describing the kind of society that exists in the future world. In the short story the writer writes,
“For long ago he had wisely changed his to sneakers”
This quote makes me think that the pedestrian used to be scared to be seen out at night and wouldn’t want to get noticed. But now he’s gotten over his fears and he will do what he wants and doesn’t care who sees.
In the second section of the story the silence of the streets is dramatically broken by the introduction of the police car and in the way it stop Mead and calls him into account. The fact that he alone is being confronted by the one remaining police car increases a growing sense of the pedestrian’s isolation. Evidence to show this is what the police car orders the pedestrian to do,
“Stand still, stay where you are! Don’t move!”
In this quote, the pedestrian has been commanded to stop and obey the police car. Here, it seems as if the pedestrian is helpless and can’t do anything but obey that police cars instructions. This relates back to the theme of the story and how technology has taken over every other civilian in the city and now it is about to get the last free pedestrian and soon he will be just like every other helpless person sat like the dead in their homes.
As the story continues, we see how vulnerable the pedestrian is when he is confronted by the power of the state. During the interrogation, we are made aware of just how cold and adamant the voice of authority is. While the pedestrian is being interrogated the writer writes,
“The light held him