Leonard Mead The Pedestrian Analysis

In a dystopian city, it is normal that “an entire street be startled by the passing of a lone figure, [Leonard Mead], in the early November evening” (1). This entire street, along with the rest of the city, would be stuck in their houses, eyes glued to ‘viewing screens’ or televisions. A man by the name of Leonard Mead is the one person varying from these actions. Leonard Mead, unlike everyone else, walks around outside and takes in the lifeless city at night. While most people are caught up in some show on their viewing screen, Leonard is recognizing how the huge city suddenly dies at the evening. The suddenly quiet city seems like it should be strange, but to this society, Leonard’s actions are what is truly odd. This society would

Being a writer without access to a viewing screen allows Leonard to become an image of a person that has their own personality, and can criticize his surroundings while still also respecting and appreciating them. Bradbury also shows Leonard as the only person with his lights on rather than being in the dark. This embodies how Leonard is mindful and everyone else is just following each other without questioning it or acknowledging how abnormal their actions are. When Leonard Mead is able to have “an entire street be startled by the passing of a lone figure, himself, in the early November evening” it is clear that a usually very normal activity is weird to this society (1). While Leonard’s actions may seem weird to everyone else, Leonard does not change to fit in and instead is fine with refusing to stay inside, watching television, even if that makes him an outsider. This is because he has his own distinct character, which prevents him from following everyone else, he also is informed of his surroundings and knowledgeable enough to not be dependent on