Let Me Walk You Through The Pedestrian

Sometimes I find myself scrolling through an endless amount of posts on a social media platform. Why? I guess to entertain myself and “kill time.” I’m aware that I could be doing something way more productive, but I choose to indulge in taking a moment to forget…forget about the things I eventually need to have accomplished.  Even as I type this, I have my phone at reach. I remember back when I had the company of my siblings without technology interfering. Now, I have to either wave my hand in front of their face in order to have them make eye contact with me. It’s quite sad. We’ve become so attached and reliant with technology that even calling someone’s name aloud won’t catch their attention. If we didn’t have these sophisticated contraptions, we’d probably be more involved in the world instead of isolating ourselves.

I’ve heard from past generations that they’d play outside until a guardian decides to call them in to eat dinner time. Now teens like me are cooped up in a room with multiple books and papers scattered on a surface, finishing assignments till 12am or perhaps past it. If we happen to finish early, we’re watching/scrolling on a device. And if there are after school activities, we attend to those before starting on work that may be due the following day.

In the story “The Pedestrian” a guy goes for a walk late at night (2053 A.D) and a police car drives up to him due to suspicion. They talk and the conversation between the two becomes intense which leads to the arrest of Leonard Mead. What happens after?... well it’s unresolved.

That’s how this short story was created. Ray Bradbury sat down after this particular experience and wrote his thoughts and feelings to try and make sense of what had happened while it was still fresh from his memory.

The feelings he must have felt were rage and confusion. Being arrested for walking (a habit that helps improve a person’s health) would make you question what is wrong with the world. Why would something so harmless like walking be something to be taken into custody for? The main character had walked daily during the night plenty of times instead of being secluded inside “tomb-like” buildings. The author describes being surrounded by the lonesome streets in a city inhabited by 3 million and seeing the flickering lights from the windows due to the television. This creates a sympathetic tone toward the protagonist as he describes how sad humanity has become due to technology. 

In the town I live in, walking is something that isn’t really as common compared to big cities such as New York (which has tourist attractions) where people walk every hour of the day. Here, it’s more convenient to get around by vehicle since there are only few who walk. However, these contraptions we get into are such dangerous vehicles. So many accidents occur because of it. Even with the thought of possible tragedy, many still continue to drive recklessly and put others at harm on the road.   

Leonard Mead. The main character Ray Bradbury made to be the most human out of the 3 million in the city. Compared to the police car in “The Pedestrian,” which represents the authority figure questioning Leonard Mead, is an inanimate object that receives human qualities. It had no living being inside, but it managed to communicate with Mead. Authority figures such as the police are meant to “protect and serve” the people, but in this case the protagonist is put in an uncomfortable situation. Although Mead was unarmed, the police car replied, “Your hands up! Or we’ll shoot.” Yeah, he had to obey or else he’d end up receiving an unwanted wound.    

What Ray Bradbury wrote nearly 70 years ago was an insightful view into the world today. This planet we occupy has evolved into a technical one and humanity continues to grow into isolation day by day. The gap between the older generations and the new ones is vast. More people are becoming isolated due to the pleasures of technology. Many know such little about this complex idea and the power it holds— which holds such a huge influence in our society.      

Instead of us controlling these devices, these non living objects are controlling us. Try and become more apart of the world instead of giving your attention to something that will one day, malfunction. Materialistic things won’t last forever and neither will we.