Appreciation Of The Pedestrian By Ray Bradburrys

An Evaluation of the Anomaly of the 21st Century Imagine living in a world where walks are deemed a suspicious activity. Ray Bradburrys short story the pedestrian reveals the unusual lifestyle of the inhabitants living in 2053, more over the conflicting way of life that the Pedestrian displays. Constantly, the protagonist, Mr. Leonard Mead is surrounded by a conformity driven society, furthermore people out of the ordinary are deemed psychotic. Mr. Mead’s ability to take delight in his own company, enjoyment in making his own decisions, combined with his individuality had left him as an anomaly in society, consequently leading to his downfall.

For many, being alone for long periods of time is not an activity that is particularly done for pleasure. On the contrary, being alone is something Mr. Mead adores. On the course of one of his

Mead?” “..No,” “Not married,” said the police voice behind the fiery beam.. “nobody wanted me,” said Leonard Mead with a smile. (Bradburry 3).
Implementing that he is not only content with being alone, he enjoys it. Being alone is nothing short of a blessing for him. Like anyone, Mr. Mead is someone who values his independence, not having the ability to govern himself would be almost suffocating. Mead finds pleasure in making his own decisions, even if said decision is not impactful. Leonard Mead’s character is exposed to the reader once again during his walk, “.. and with a final decision made, a path selected, he would stride off..” (Bradburry 1) Taking a closer look into the word choice, we see Bradburry use the word “selected” showing the reader that this was a choice made by Mead, separating him once again to the people inhabiting his town, the same people who strive to be like everyone else. Mr. Leonard Mead is not ashamed of being himself, moreover he actually takes great pleasure in leading his life the way he chooses. Going back to his interrogation by the police car, a question