Pedestrian Essay
Pedestrian Task: Unusual setting, interesting characterisation, vivid description, throughout-provoking themes show in detail how each of these aspects contributes to your understanding of “The Pedestrian” By Roy Bradbury. In the story “The pedestrian”, Bradbury uses unusual setting, interesting characterisation, vivid description and throughout-provoking themes, to capture the reader and presenting an interesting insight on a future society. Throughout the story, Bradbury introduces characters in a specific strange setting through imaginary techniques such as: simile, metaphor and personality.
This essay targets to analyse how Bradbury’s choice of setting, characters, themes and his vivid descriptions help us to picture/understand the story. Plot outline “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury, pictures a story of a lone man in an empty city were streets have been abandoned, at 8’oclok on a November evening. The story imagines how technology has affected society in the future. The story is set in 2052 on a November dark evening in a city of 3 million people. The main character Leonard Mead is made out to be a loner when in actual fact he’s a normal one, that gets accused for being a strange person.
The city is taken over by technology however Mr Leonard is different. Mini essay. In “The Pedestrian” Ray Bradbury presents a unusual setting with an abundance of great imaginary writing and interesting description’s which gives us the upper hand to imagine it our own way and this is what Bradbury is trying to achieve: “And on his way he would see the cottages and houses with their dark windows” This is strange as its only 8pm and people should at least have the lights on if there not out or walking about the house.
This helps me understand that Bradbury wanted to hint over a strange city. He also compares the city to a desert: “He could imagine himself upon the centre of a plain Arizonian desert with no house within a thousand miles”. This is especially strange as it’s a city of 3 million. This helps me to picture what Bradbury is trying to set across. Invisible “people are there but not really there “Bradbury means by this that people are there but not as if would be in 2012 there hypnotised and as if drugged by TV etc.
This helps us understand and picture what life must be like. Appealing characterisation is another key point Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian” The pedestrian sisplays this appealing characterisation on the form of Bradbury’s description of his main character as a loner and a strange man while presenting other society as “Ghosts”, hypnotised by technology. Plus he presented the car as evil, threatening and suspicious. Leonard Mead is categorised as a ‘lone’, “In ten years of walking, by night or day for thousands of miles.
He had never met another person walking, not on in all time. ” This indicates he’s the only person that walks.. “There was a good crystal frost like invisible snow”. He enjoys the cold weather. The word good indicates he enjoys it. “The light held him fired, like a small specimen needle thrust through his chest. ” This simile implies there’s light, other mankind out the house. “What is it now? ” he asked horses . He hates the way other beings are brainwashed by Tv around the city except him. Other people are described as ‘phantoms’ as they are practically lifeless.
