| "The Pedestrian" | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ray Bradbury |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction short story |
| Published in | The Reporter |
| Publication type | Magazine |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | 7 August 1951 |
"The Pedestrian" is a short story by author Ray Bradbury. This story was originally published in 1951 by The Fortnightly Publishing Company. It is included in the collection The Golden Apples of the Sun (1953).
Contents |
In this story we encounter Leonard Mead, a citizen of a television-centered world in A.D. 2053. In the city, roads have fallen into decay and people only leave their homes during the day, staying home at night to watch TV. It is revealed that Mead enjoys walking through the city during the night, something which no one else does. On one of his usual walks he encounters a robotic police car. It is the only police unit in a city of three million, since the purpose of law enforcement has disappeared with everyone watching TV at night. The police car struggles to understand why Mr. Mead would be out walking for no reason and decides to take him to the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies.
It is noticeable that the address of the main character, Leonard Mead, happens to be the address of the house that Bradbury grew up in. This has caused speculation that this short story is actually referring to himself, or is in some related way a message to his home town of Waukegan, Illinois.
In an interview, Bradbury revealed that the inspiration for this story came when he was walking down Wilshire Blvd. with a friend and a police cruiser pulled up asked what they were doing. Bradbury answered "Well, we're putting one foot in front of the other." The policemen didn't appreciate Ray's humor and became suspicious of Bradbury and his friend for walking in an area where there were no pedestrians. After some arguing the policeman told them to go home and to not walk any more. Bradbury said "Yes, sir, I'll never walk again." Using this experience as inspiration he went home and wrote "The Pedestrian". Bradbury also said in this interview that "The Pedestrian" is simply the beginning of Fahrenheit 451.
The story was made into an episode of The Ray Bradbury Theater, starring David Ogden Stiers as Leonard Mead.