Conformity In The Pedestrian

In The Pedestrian, Ray Bradbury develops Leonard Mead’s character trait of individuality by gradually showing the distant relation between his actions and the rest of society’s norms. One example of this comes early on in the story, “…to put your feet upon that buckling concrete walk, to step over grassy seams and make your way, hands in pockets, through the silences…” (Bradbury) Bradbruy uses these minute details about Mead’s surroundings to give the reader an indication of just how little human interaction and socialization Mead’s society has. As shown at the beginning of the quote, “… to put your feet upon that buckling concrete walk, to step over grassy seams…” the descriptions of the sidewalk give the reader an image of the setting— run-down, uncut weeds, Bradbury provides us with no sensory words to indicate movement outside.

Another example of Mead’s distance from society is expressed in this quote coming halfway through the story. “The cement was vanishing under flowers and grass. In 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.” By this point in the story, Bradbury has developed how the reader interprets Mead’s actions. He begins the story with small details to give the reader a closer look at the setting, but has now given the reader a vital piece of information; he proves their initial thoughts to be true. To some, this might seem like the end to Mead’s character development— but Bradbury somehow manages to amplify Mead’s peculiarity. Near the end of the story, during Mead’s encounter with the police officer on his daily walk, Bradbury gives his most prominent statement as to Mead’s individuality. “‘Where are you taking me?’… ‘To the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies.’ He got in. The door shut with a soft