The Future In The Pedestrian, By Ray Bradbury

Popular fictions texts expressing views of the future educate audiences about current issues and the dystopias that develop from them. Texts such as the film ‘Gattaca’, directed by Andrew Niccol and novel ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury explore futuristic societies and the implications that become of their innovation. Although entertaining, texts such as these are didactic and must be taken seriously, as they communicate messages to audiences regarding prevalent concerns and possible futures based on society’s choices.

Through the use of foreshadowing, Bradbury emphasizes how the world is becoming dependent and controlled by technology. “The street was silent and long and empty, with only his shadow

Imagine not having technology, it seems unbearable, but back then technology was not always a necessity. In “The Pedestrian” and “Harrison Bergeron” by Ray Bradbury, the stories evaluate technology in the future and the outcome it produces. Both stories include conformities and “rebels” who choose to go against society. The two stories both predict the future because they interpret the loss of individuality and freedom due to technology. Technology can take away a person’s character and choice.

In the story Fahrenheit 451 and “The Pedestrian” the futuristic technology used is more of a problem than a benefit because more and more people are becoming “addicted” to technology instead of focusing on more important things. In the story Fahrenheit 451 it states, “I rarely watch the ‘parlor walls’ or go to races or Fun Parks. So I’ve lots of time for crazy thoughts ” (Bradbury 13). Some people are so ‘obsessed’ or into doing more things with technology, like racing or watching TV. This deprives them of the information or lessons you could learn in things like books. Also for example in Fahrenheit 451 it says, “My uncle was arrested another time--did I tell you?--for being a pedestrian” (Bradbury 13). Now not only are people being arrested

“The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury is a sci-fi short story set in a futuristic society where human interaction has completely vanished due to heavy usage of technology, specifically televisions. Throughout the short story, Bradbury shows how technology addiction can have a bad impact on people, which frequently leads to isolation and divergence, especially to those who do not rely on it. To start off, Mead is the only person in this city who ever steps outside his home, making him an extraordinary being compared to everyone else locked up inside their homes. This point is clearly shown when the narrator explains: “in ten years of walking by night or day.[Leonard] had never met another person, not once in all the time”(1). This quote implies a

“All kinds of creative possibilities are made possible by science and technology which now constitute the slave of man, if man is not enslaved by it” as quoted by Jonas Salk during a speech about the technological advances in modern medicine in the 1950s. In the short stories by Ray Bradbury, he illustrates how the characters are struggling to live with the futuristic capabilities of technology. “The Pedestrian” focuses on a man named Leonard Mead who is the only person in society who does not use the technology in his home, his hobby is to walk. However, he is viewed as an outcast. “The Veldt” focuses on how George and Lydia Hadley figure out how their children’s nursery is powered by their mind and how they use it to have a tragic advantage over their parents in the end. While technology can let people connect to others much more efficiently, Ray Bradbury shows how the characters in his short stories “The Pedestrian” and “The Veldt” prove how technology is capable of isolating people from reality.

Imagine if a person could actually prophesize the future. Try to imagine what the future will hold as individuals, artificial intelligence, and world peace. Ray Bradbury was a poet and writer of idealistic futuristic scenarios and horror. Although he did not want to be classified as a Science Fiction writer, he was exactly that in the eyes of his readers and critics. Ray Bradbury wrote two short stories composed of his ideals of the future: “There Will Come Soft Rains” and “All Summer in a Day. “ Both of these two short stories show a futuristic outlook on life for humans and humanity; although the concepts are expressed differently. “There Will Come Soft Rains” shows the fate of the human race and the end of humanity. Bradbury describes

Conformity to societal norms and the chaotic nature of modern life especially provoked him to express his indignation. One of the prominent examples would be his short story “The Pedestrian.” The science-fiction author describes his unpleasant experience with a police officer that accused him for walking late at night with a friend on the premise of abnormal social behavior. The themes in this work of literature reveal the heart of the author and the focus of his writings. The main character embodies a pure and a true heart of humanity (Bradbury 104). On the other hand, a lifeless metallic police car, manmade, yet human-less, symbolizes a progress that desolates humanity from its soul. In this powerful imagery, Bradbury explains that machine cannot understand the human behavior, his thoughts, or emotion. “Why than push ourselves towards something that in reality only drives us away from ourselves?” The overall message reminds that the “progress of technology sees no need for humanity…”

Furthermore, NASA is discovering other planets that we could eventually inhabit once the population is too large for Earth or conditions are no longer suitable for life. NASA has sent a telescope into space to follow through on their mission to find another planet like Earth: “The Kepler Mission is specifically designed to survey a portion of our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover dozens of Earth-size planets in or near the habitable zone and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets,” (Kepler:). Huge progress has been made with this mission, as there have been almost 4,000 planets found that can possibly suit life as we know it (Kepler:). The Kepler Mission is not the only project of NASA’s that is looking for habitable planets, however. One project much nearer to Earth is the Mars Exploration Program. NASA have collected a large amount of data and are by far the most successful program in the world as far as Mars exploration is concerned (Historical).

As he walks, the narrator describes the city streets, stating, "The only sound heard was the roar of the engines which continued ceaselessly on their track, never stopping" (Bradbury, "The Pedestrian"). The quote illustrates the influence of technology, resulting in social isolation and lowering face-to-face relations among people. Bradbury criticizes the effects of technology, showing a future where human activity is replaced by robotic systems. The story acts as a warning against how technology can lead to the decay of social interaction and

The short story The Pedestrian is an intriguing story that takes place in the future. This story suggests that if the world continues the progress that it is now then we will become no more than humans who are doing nothing with our lives. It shows how people would seclude themselves from others and begin to stop caring for others. Is this actually a possibility in the future?

In the short story, “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury, is an example of dystopian literature. First and foremost, a characteristic of dystopian literature is that citizens live in a dehumanized state. This is shown in the story when, “In the ten years of walking by night or day, for thousands of miles, he had never met another person walking, not once in all that time.” This quote supports the thesis in that people are not allowed to do the simplest task of walking without reason, or acting without reason. This is a dehumanized state of life, due to there being such a thing as cabin fever, and that it is one of the most common activities of humans. To add to this, “The tombs, ill-lit by television light, where the people sat like the dead,

In conclusion, the book explains the journey of the test pilots and being voted to go into space as astronauts. Throughout their journey, the reader can notice that getting the pilots into space was more about

Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Pedestrian” is a dramatic illustration of the dangers of living in a world where contact with nature is deemed so abnormal that even walking alone at night is a crime. The dystopian story revolves around the tale of a man named Leonard Mead, living during a time period not so far away from our own, in 2053 CE. In the story, a robotic police car is so suspicious of Mead’s walking behavior during one pleasant night that he is taken away to a psychiatric hospital.

Have you ever wondered what the future will be like? “The Pedestrian” a short story written by Ray Bradbury takes place in 2053, the future. The main character Mr. Leonard Mead is a non-conformative man who goes against the rules of the society in which he lives in. Ray Bradbury accurately predicted the use of technology in our society in the short story “The Pedestrian” because it is very relatable and similar to our society.