The Pedestrian By Ray Bradbury

After examining the short story "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury from a Socioeconomic/ Marxist theory the story portrays a dystopian society where the capitalist class and their superstructure suppress individuality and enforce conformity, demonstrating the effects of classism and the conflict of interests between the working class and the ruling class. The society mead lives in is highly stratified, with the ruling class controlling the means of production and the working class being forced to conform to societal norms. Mead can be seen as a representative of the working class; they are viewed as a threat to the bourgeoisie. The conformist citizens who stay home and watch TV could be seen as the proletariat because they are obedient to the norms imposed by the ruling class. By consuming mass media

The bourgeoisie, represented by the highly mechanized police car, holds all the power and controls the working class. Through the use of technology, the bourgeoisie can easily eliminate anyone who deviates from societal norms.

For instance, when Leonard Mead is arrested and taken away by the police car for simply walking alone at night, it demonstrates how the bourgeoisie uses classism to maintain their authority and punish anyone who challenges their power. This conflict between Mead and the society can be seen as a form of class struggle, with Mead representing the interests of the working class and the society representing the interests of the ruling class. On the other hand, the working class, represented by Mead, is marginalized and oppressed, with limited opportunities to improve their social status. The story shows how the working class is powerless compared to the bourgeoisie and how they are unable to change the system on their own. Mr. Mead can also be seen as a Lumpenproletariat because he goes on walks and constantly rebels against the social norms. The superstructure in this case is the television programs and the police are used