Jesus Stiven Ospina

Norma Ojeda

English Literature

March 31, 2020

The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury

In the future of 2053, people spend their days and nights inside, watching TV
and consuming mindless entertainment. Mead is very atypical, probably seen as a
deviant, as he does not have a “viewing screen to see with” in his house, not even
a ‘‘wife to give him an alibi’’ and loves walking to enjoy the fresh air. The
Pedestrian is about the way technology ‘‘progress’’ caused indeed dehumanization
‘‘regression’’ in the future of 2053.

On one hand, Mr. Mead is described as a warm person, a character who

represents and reflects humanity. Mr. Mead is a free-spirited human described as
the ‘‘the shadow of a hawk’’. He breaths nature, he enjoys the fresh air as he walks
the deserted streets at night ‘‘what Mr. Mead most dearly loved to do… Walking for
air. Walking to see’’. On the other hand, people have become dependent on
technology; they may easily glue themselves to the television ‘‘like the dead’’ in
their ‘‘tombs, ill-lit by television light’’ Bradbury compares the houses to ‘‘tombs’’
inhabited by ‘‘grey phantoms’’ where inhabitants are lifeless, motionless and
submissive towards soul-consuming entertainment.

Secondly, the loss of humanity is illustrated by the poor interaction among

people. Do people barely connect and share with others, but they only interact
with the people on their screens ‘‘the gray or multicolored lights touching their
faces, but never really touching them’’. It implies that people do not care for
others, do not look after others’ humanity. By the same token, Mr. Mead prefers to
talk to himself. He speaks out: “What’s up tonight on Channel 4 Channel 7,
Channel 9?” as if someone else were with him. He knows real interaction and
connection with people is odd. Instead, he has found himself connecting with
solitude and nature. Likewise, we can see the dehumanizing effect of technology in
the view of the fact that writing is not considered an occupation ‘‘"Business or
profession?" "I guess you'd call me a writer." "No profession," said the police car’’.
Mr. Mead, for being a writer, is considered an outcast. Who would write in a world
where ‘‘magazines and books didn’t sell anymore’’! Technology is so widespread
that writing is no longer important.

Technology gives a new dimension to human life. It helps humanity to better

lives, to have more freedom, more time. However, technology took away the only
thing that Leonard had ‘‘Walking for air. Walking to see’’. A writer who walks is
viewed as a threat to society and individuals who do not conform are arrested. Mr.
Mead is stopped by a metallic voice car, an inhuman voice, authoritative itself; the
only police car in town. There was probably no need for law-enforcement since
citizens were docile and conformist. There are no good or bad people anymore,
they have lost their identity, they have lost their humanity. The car is rational, able
to make decision with consequences for the real people. It does not understand
the human dimension of Mr. Mead’s answers. Mr. Mead is expected to follow the
pattern, to behave certain way, to fit the standard questions, to be like all the
others. Mr. Mead is considered as ‘‘regressive’’ in the a ‘‘progressive’’ society that
has caused people regression of their humanity.