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Ray Bradbury's 'The Pedestrian'

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Often it is thought that in modern society it is fine to not fit in, because the misfits are typically the most successful and inventive. In the short story “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury the opposite is true, the year is 2053 and society is expected to follow the standard set by the government; to never leave your house and spend most of your day watching TV. Leonard Mead is the protagonist, who finds he is always the only one to go for walks. The other 3 million citizens are sitting in their houses watching TV and doing nothing productive. There is only one police unit left, which enforces the harsh rules set by the government. Although fitting in society may seem a great idea, it almost always slaughters individual identity, leading to a boring life for everyone. …show more content…

He still has interest in the outside world, so he takes long walks around the city to relax and enjoy the outdoors. The setting describes the city as being an absolute ghost town at night, due to laws not allowing citizens out at night. This showcases the dark part of the future, with citizens who don’t have a future ahead of them, and possibly of a war stricken country. Leonard is the only one who is able to pursue his desire to explore the world while the rest of the city conforms to the societal standards. The zombie-like citizens of the city pay no attention to the outside world. Their world is right in front of them, the TV. Unlike Leonard Mead, the rest of the citizens are clearly brainwashed to follow orders. Instead of enjoying the world and exploring; the populace has been taught instead to enjoy scheduled programming. This is significant because society has conformed to a standard, making control of the population much easier. Although a future filled with hope could be ahead of us, a dystopia future could also be

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