The Pedestrian Technology

In a world where the citizens value technology over all else, an obsession with the computerized metamorphoses the populace into brainwashed drones, dependent on the glassy, insentient screens surrounding them. In this society, people misunderstand and isolate those unscathed by the hegemony of the automated devices. The short story “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury exposes readers to this world from the perspective of Mr. Leonard Mead, one of the few to remain resistant to the omnipotence of technology in 2053. Mr. Mead strolls through his neighborhood as he does every night, watching through windows the people possessed by their televisions. The tale culminates in an encounter between Mr. Mead and the police, who fail to comprehend why anyone

Bradbury establishes the reason why people allow technology to take them over in Mr. Mead’s interaction with the police. When Mr. Mead first sees the police car, a completely computerized robot, approach, “he stood entranced, not unlike a night moth, stunned by the illumination, then drawn toward it” (2). Mr. Leonard Mead first reacts as “stunned,” then “drawn” in by the police car, a manifestation of the gadgets that took over society. Once again, the author employs a comparison between a person, Mr. Mead, and an insect, a night moth. Night moths move towards a light for instinctive reasons, simply because it looks enticing. Likewise, technology initially lures people in because it takes the form of fancy devices that people desire. Even though he knows that the police equates to danger, the bright light representing the electronically infested world draws Mr. Mead in. Technology begins seeming innocuous, but it becomes more and more powerful, making it impossible for those already in its clutches to escape. Next, Bradbury demonstrates the unthinking nature of humans in Mr. Mead’s description of the highway. He depicts the road during the daytime as “a thunderous surge of

First, technology leaves few unscathed by its tempting qualities, leaving those remaining strikingly alone. On one of his evening strolls, Mr. Mead, the only walker he has ever seen out at night in over ten years, “could imagine himself upon the center of a plain, windless Arizona desert with no house in a thousand miles…” (2). By comparing the city to a “windless Arizona desert,” the author implies that the use of technology leaves behind a lifeless world because few live in arid, unfeeling deserts. Electronics suck the life out of people, so technology creates emotionally detached, brainwashed people who cannot think or even communicate to themselves. Even though houses surround Mr. Mead, he still feels completely alone. No one tries to stop this alienation because the people taken over cannot, and those in power do not want to because unthinking people who will sit calmly watching their own televisions do not cause problems, as evidenced by the decrease in crime rates in the short story. Additionally, those like Mr. Mead who can still think do not speak out for fear of punishment, like the irrational police encounter. The nature metaphor between a city and a desolate place like the desert highlights the dehumanizing effects computers can have. Second, technology replaces human interactions, isolating people even more. After