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The Pedestrian And Fahrenheit 451 Comparison

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The Lone Wolfs

As the famous poet, Maya Angelou, once said, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” In “The Pedestrian” and Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the protagonist Mr. Leonard Mead and the young woman Clarisse McClellan, both exemplify this sentiment as they strive to know better and do better in a society that values conformity and discourages intellectualism and personal expression. Both works of literature serve as cautionary tales about the dangers of a society that suppresses individuality and intellectualism. Through the characters of Mr. Mead and Clarisse, Bradbury reminds us of the importance of intellectual curiosity and personal expression, something that the two worlds seem to ignore. …show more content…

In both the novel and short story, Ray Bradbury explores the theme of conformity. In Fahrenheit 451, this idea of being similar to one another has led to the ban of books, distinguishing what might inspire independent thought. As Captain Beatty explains, “we must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal…each man the image of every other” (“Fahrenheit” 58). Similarly, in “The Pedestrian,” Mr. Leonard Mead is ostracized for his nonconformity, as he is the only one that still enjoys going on a leisurely walk. The police car’s metallic whisper asks, “What are you doing out?...Walking where?...For what?” (“The Pedestrian” 2). The “whisper” is, in a sense, awestruck, surprised to notice Mr. Mead walking around all alone. Ultimately, Bradbury’s portrayal of conformity serves as a warning against the dangers of blindly following societal norms and the importance of preserving individuality and …show more content…

In the novel, the government progressively tries to suppress knowledge and critical thinking by burning books, instead promoting a culture of mindless entertainment supplied by “parlor walls.” The result is a world filled with superficial, unoriginal thoughts and even forgetfulness, as demonstrated by characters like Mildred, who cannot remember basic details about her past. When asked where she and Guy Montag had met, she had said, “why, it was at…I don’t know… it’s been so long” (“Fahrenheit 451”). Meanwhile, in the short story, Mr. Leonard Mead is arrested for the seemingly innocent act of walking. This behaviour seems the opposite of Mildred’s shallow-level and controlled way of life. Thus the suppression of individuality is destroyed, leading to the dismantling of unique and original ideas. As Mr. Mead says in the short story, “he had never met another person walking, not once in all that time” (“The Pedestrian” 1). At one point, everyone wanted to be unique but now, conformed to the silent grey homes, people have forgotten how to express

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215 Words | 1 Pages

The police car stops Mr. Mead because it’s not normal to walk around at night in this city, everyone’s at home watching television or using their electronics. The police car then asks him his business or profession, in which Mead responds with “I’d guess you’d call me a writer.” The police car then says that Mead has no profession, because being a writer in this society is not a profession. “What are you doing out?”, the police car asks. Mead explains he’s just out walking, for air and to see.

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1526 Words | 7 Pages

In the Story, it states, ““What are you doing out?”/… ‘Just walking,”” He said simply, but his face felt cold” (Bradbury 1). In the story, Mr. Mead was living his own life, but he wasn't doing what everyone else is doing. This can relate to modern day problems. If someone is just minding their own

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506 Words | 3 Pages

In Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury creates a technological dystopia where books are banned. In the society, any type of intellectual thought is seen as odd or unique which is not tolerated. This is closely related to the poem the "Allegory of the cave" where it talks about how people who are stuck in one way and aren't willing to see the truth will often go to extremes to avoid said truth or anything that seems different from what they believe in. In Fahrenheit 451 the main character Guy Montag and counters this young girl named Clarisse McClellan. Clarisse is the first person to really open up Montag's eyes to his surroundings and what the world he lives in has become.

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1086 Words | 5 Pages

Bradbury shines a light on what the future could be like if people continued to rely on technology so much. Many people who read Fahrenheit 451 can agree that Clarisse is definitely a favorite among characters. She is the most liked because she introduces Montag to that child wonder that he missed from spending all his time watching the ‘parlor walls.’ Bradbury used Clarisse to remind all of his readers how wonderful the imagination is, and to show the large contrast between the common person in Bradbury’s society, and the common person in contemporary society. If books were forgotten, then people's sense of imagination and wonder would be

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586 Words | 3 Pages

"It takes nothing to join the crowd, but everything to stand alone." Hans F Hanson portrays the realities of humanity. Do we follow the crowd or risk taking the more difficult path of standing up for ourselves? Many books and stories demonstrate this, including Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, a dystopian novel set in a futuristic utopia. "

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724 Words | 3 Pages

In Ray Bradbury’s dystopian Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag experiences a paradigm shift as he transforms from a disoriented fireman to a learner who wants to gain knowledge through literature. Montag struggles with his newfound fascination with what was once trivial items because of his inability to ask questions under the bonds of conformity. However, the society prohibits people from reading for fear that they would express individuality and perhaps even rebel once they gain knowledge. Through the use of characterization and diction, the Bradbury demonstrates Montag’s desire for individuality and the society’s command of conformity in order to build a suspenseful mood, which keeps the reader’s interest. First, through the use of characterization,

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762 Words | 4 Pages

Conformity in Fahrenheit 451 is shown that everyone is the same, while having individualism, you can be unique in your own way. Beatty says otherwise, “We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no

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471 Words | 2 Pages

The Pedestrian Thesis: In a short story titled “The Pedestrian”, written by Ray Bradbury, Bradbury uses the setting to display a lonely, sad mood and person vs society conflict as he battles the lonely streets. Bradbury shows the lonely mood by having the character walk alone in the empty streets. Bradbury wasted no time describing the streets as silent and misty making for a very lonely mood. Mead, the main character, walks along the streets alone with no sign of life, saying “he would see cottages and homes with their dark windows, and it was not unequal to walking through a graveyard where the faintest light is a flicker of a firefly” Bradbury’s quote shows how empty and lonely the streets are by referring to them as a

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772 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel Fahrenheit 451 conformity and individuality is something to talk about. Conformity and individuality are very important themes in Fahrenheit 451 and in modern life. The novel demonstrates how individuality is very rare. Is about modern America. Without individuality today, everyone would not be different and would follow someone else trends and everything about them.

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946 Words | 4 Pages

The 1951 original written work by Ray Bradbury (“The Pedestrian”) was, at some point in time, later adapted into a short film. Although both the film and short story shared many of the same elements, there were still several noticeably apparent differences; for one, the film had chosen to introduce an entirely new character into the plot. Serving as a contrasting figure for Mead - a “foil”, of some sorts - Robert “Bob” Stockwell had assisted in providing much more insight in the dystopian world (i.e. experiencing the “outside” world after being inside so long, as was seen in the film). Whereas in the original story, no such insight was provided - Mead was, instead, only just an ordinary individual (unintentionally) caught amidst the confines

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862 Words | 4 Pages

The “perfect” society that is created, comes at the cost of individuality. In Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451, the individuality of the citizens is threatened by the amount of government control in their lives, and can be seen through the Utopian goals, the government punishments, and the citizens’ conformity in response to this. The Utopian goals that the society holds limits the individuality of the citizens. Their attempt to create a controlled environment leads to more government control than necessary.

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651 Words | 3 Pages

In “The Pedestrian” Ray Bradbury uses personification, simile, and imagery to develop the mood of loneliness so that the reader can understand the dark and lonely world the character is living in. This matters because it changes how the reader reads the story and it makes you better understand the character and the life the character is living. By using the quotes that the author did, it not only changed the mood of the story but it also changes the mood of the reader and how he/she

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541 Words | 3 Pages

Do you choose to conform? or is it something you do without even thinking about it? Conformity is a theme consistently found throughout Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. In Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury illustrates how conformity is not always a choice and not conforming is a choice through the characters Montag, Faber and Mildred. Some people spend their entire life conforming to society, and can not imagine what being an independant thinker is.

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435 Words | 2 Pages

The science fiction works of “Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut and “The Pedestrian”, by Ray Bradbury are sarcastic portrayals of futuristic societies that are controlled by authoritative governments that have completely made their communities equal. Each of these stories take a look at the prospect of promoting sameness and conformity among all people, and questions the effects of the forced elimination of citizens’ individuality in order to maintain equality. In “The Pedestrian” Mr. Leonard Mead faces extreme consequences for his nightly stroll in the city. In the year 2053, Mead’s society has become completely taken over by televisions and the media.

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605 Words | 3 Pages

In the beginning of the story Mr. Mead walks down the barren city sidewalks of this city where he lives and this really shows the setting of a dystopian society. No one walked anymore; no one had the time to, no one wanted to, so Bradbury shows imagery on how no one does this, “The cement was vanishing under flowers and grass. In ten years of walking by night or day...he had never met another person walking.” (pg 174) In the middle of the story, an officer finds Mr. Mead and tells him to stop, “‘Stand still.

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