THE PEDESTRIAN, PART 4, PAGE-164 & 165:

 

THE PEDESTRIAN, PART 4, PAGE-164 & 165:

GLOSSARY, PARAPHRASE & QUESTION-ANSWERS

Text

"Not married," said the police voice behind the fiery beam.

The moon was high and clear among the stars and the houses were gray and silent.

"Nobody wanted me," said Leonard Mead with a smile.

"Don't speak unless you're spoken to!"

Leonard Mead waited in the cold night.

"Just walking, Mr. Mead?"

"Yes."

"But you haven't explained for what purpose."

"I explained; for air, and to see, and just to walk."

"Have you done this often?"

"Every night for years."

The police car sat in the center of the street with its radio throat faintly humming.

"Well, Mr. Mead," it said.

"Is that all?" he asked politely.

A short, explosive "Yes," said the voice.

"Here."

There was a sigh, a pop.

The back door of the police car sprang wide.

"Get in."

"Wait a minute, I haven't done anything!"

"Get in."

"I protest!"

"Mr. Mead."

He walked like a man suddenly drunk.

As he passed the front window of the car he looked in.

As he had expected, there was no one in the front seat, no one in the car at all.

"Get in."

He put his hand to the door and peered into the back seat, which was a little cell, a little black jail with bars.

It smelled of riveted steel.

It smelled of harsh antiseptic; it smelled too clean and hard and metallic.

There was nothing soft there.

Now if you had a wife to give you an alibi," said the iron.

"But-"

"Where are you taking me?"

The car hesitated, or rather gave a faint whirring click, as if information, somewhere, was dropping card by punch-slotted card under electric eyes.

"To the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies."

He got in.

The door shut with a soft thud.

The police car rolled through the night avenues, flashing its dim lights ahead.

They passed one house on one street a moment later, one house in an entire city of houses that were dark, but this one particular house had all of its electric lights brightly lit, every window a loud yellow illumination, square and warm in the cool darkness

"That's my house," said Leonard Mead.

No one answered him.

The car moved down the empty river-bed streets and off away, leaving the empty streets with the empty side-walks, and no sound and no motion all the rest of the chill November night.

Glossary

1. Fiery beam: a strong and intense light

2. Regressive: returning to a former or less developed state

3. Alibi: a statement or fact that a person was elsewhere when a crime was committed

4. Antiseptic: a substance that prevents the growth of disease-causing microorganisms

5. Riveted steel: steel plates joined together with rivets

6. Psychiatric: relating to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health disorders

7. Tendencies: a person's natural inclinations or behaviours

8. Whirring: making a low, continuous humming or buzzing sound

9. Punch-slotted card: a card with punched holes used for data processing

10. Electric eyes: electronic sensors or detectors

11. Regressive Tendencies: a term used to describe behaviours or attitudes that are considered backward or primitive

12. Thud: a dull, heavy sound

13. Avenues: broad streets or roads

14. Illumination: the act of making something brighter or more understandable

Simplified Paraphrase of the Text

The police voice, speaking from behind the bright searchlight, says that Leonard Mead is not married.

The moon shines brightly in the sky among the stars, and all the houses appear dull and quiet.

Leonard Mead smiles and says that no one ever wanted to marry him.

The police voice orders him to stay silent unless spoken to.

Leonard Mead stands quietly, waiting in the cold night.

The voice asks if he is just walking.

Mead replies that he is.

The police voice insists that he hasn’t said why he is walking.

Mead explains that he walks to get fresh air, to observe, and simply for enjoyment.

The voice questions whether he does this often.

Mead answers that he has done it every night for many years.

The police car stays parked in the middle of the street, its radio softly humming.

The car’s voice speaks again to him.

Mead politely asks if the questioning is over.

The voice quickly replies “Yes.”

The voice gives a command.

A mechanical sound of air and a pop is heard.

The back door of the police car suddenly opens.

The voice orders him to get inside.

Mead protests that he has done nothing wrong.

The voice repeats the command.

Mead objects again.

The voice firmly calls his name.

Mead walks unsteadily, as if dizzy.

While passing the front window of the car, he looks inside.

He sees that, just as he expected, there is no driver and the car is empty.

The voice again orders him to enter.

Mead touches the door and looks inside, seeing that the back seat is like a small jail with bars.

The car smells strongly of metal.

The air smells of disinfectant and feels too clean, too hard, and too metallic.

The place feels cold and lacks any softness.

The mechanical voice says that if he had a wife, she could have given him an alibi.

Mead begins to respond.

He asks where he is being taken.

The car pauses and makes clicking sounds as if processing information like a computer.

The voice replies that he is being taken to a mental hospital that studies people who resist modern behaviour.

Mead gets into the car.

The door closes softly.

The police car drives through the city streets at night, its dim lights shining ahead.

They pass one house — the only house in the whole city with its lights brightly on, glowing warmly in the dark.

Mead says that it is his house.

The car gives no reply.

It drives away down the empty streets, leaving silence, still sidewalks, and no movement in the cold November night.

1. Multiple Choice Questions

1. "Not married," said the police voice behind the fiery beam. What does this line show about Leonard Mead?

a) He is a criminal

b) He is single

c) He is a policeman

d) He is a writer

Answer: b) He is single

2. What was the condition of the moon in the sky?

a) Cloudy and dim

b) Hidden behind smoke

c) High and clear among the stars

d) Red and low

Answer: c) High and clear among the stars

3. What were the houses like in the scene?

a) Bright and lively

b) Gray and silent

c) Crowded and noisy

d) Painted and glowing

Answer: b) Gray and silent

4. What does Leonard Mead mean when he says, "Nobody wanted me"?

a) He was disliked by everyone

b) He never had friends

c) No one wanted to marry him

d) He is unwanted by society

Answer: c) No one wanted to marry him

5. Who tells Leonard Mead, "Don't speak unless you're spoken to"?

a) His friend

b) A police officer

c) The police car

d) A passerby

Answer: c) The police car

6. What was the weather like when Mead waited?

a) Hot night

b) Rainy night

c) Cold night

d) Windy evening

Answer: c) Cold night

7. What was Leonard Mead doing in the night?

a) Driving

b) Talking

c) Walking

d) Sleeping

Answer: c) Walking

8. What reason does Leonard Mead give for walking?

a) For air, to see, and to walk

b) To meet people

c) To reach home

d) To search for someone

Answer: a) For air, to see, and to walk

9. How often had Leonard Mead gone walking?

a) Once a week

b) Every night for years

c) Once a year

d) Only sometimes

Answer: b) Every night for years

10. Where was the police car during the questioning?

a) Parked in front of a house

b) Moving slowly

c) Sitting in the center of the street

d) At the police station

Answer: c) Sitting in the center of the street

11. How did the police car communicate?

a) By lights

b) By a mechanical voice

c) By gestures

d) Through a window

Answer: b) By a mechanical voice

12. What kind of sound came from the car’s radio?

a) Loud music

b) A faint humming

c) Beeping noises

d) Static noise

Answer: b) A faint humming

13. How does Leonard Mead respond to the police car?

a) Rudely

b) Angrily

c) Politely

d) Fearfully

Answer: c) Politely

14. What sound followed the police voice saying “Here”?

a) A crash

b) A sigh and a pop

c) A shout

d) A siren

Answer: b) A sigh and a pop

 

 

15. What happened after the sigh and pop?

a) The headlights went off

b) The back door opened

c) The car drove away

d) The car exploded

Answer: b) The back door opened

 

 

16. What command was given to Mead by the car?

a) “Run”

b) “Wait”

c) “Get in”

d) “Go home”

Answer: c) “Get in”

17. What was Mead’s protest?

a) He wanted a lawyer

b) He said he hadn’t done anything

c) He demanded a ride

d) He shouted at the car

Answer: b) He said he hadn’t done anything

18. How did Mead walk toward the car?

a) Like a proud man

b) Like a man suddenly drunk

c) Like a soldier

d) Like a tired person

Answer: b) Like a man suddenly drunk

19. What did Mead see when he looked inside the car?

a) Two policemen

b) A driver

c) Nobody

d) A prisoner

Answer: c) Nobody

20. What was the back seat like?

a) A soft sofa

b) A small cell with bars

c) A passenger seat

d) A clean bench

Answer: b) A small cell with bars

21. How did the inside of the car smell?

a) Of perfume

b) Of metal and antiseptic

c) Of gasoline

d) Of dust

Answer: b) Of metal and antiseptic

22. What did the voice mean when it said Mead needed a wife for an alibi?

a) A wife could confirm he was innocent

b) He should get married soon

c) Wives give comfort

d) He should not walk alone

Answer: a) A wife could confirm he was innocent

23. What did the car do before replying where it would take him?

a) Honked

b) Clicked and hesitated

c) Flashed lights

d) Stopped completely

Answer: b) Clicked and hesitated

24. Where was the car taking Leonard Mead?

a) To the police station

b) To his home

c) To the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies

d) To the city hall

Answer: c) To the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies

25. What did Mead finally do after the order?

a) Ran away

b) Got in the car

c) Argued again

d) Fell unconscious

Answer: b) Got in the car

26. What happened to the car door once Mead entered?

a) It remained open

b) It shut with a soft thud

c) It locked loudly

d) It vanished

Answer: b) It shut with a soft thud

27. What was the appearance of Mead’s house?

a) Dark and cold

b) Fully lit and bright

c) Broken and old

d) Covered with vines

Answer: b) Fully lit and bright

28. How did Mead recognize the bright house?

a) By its number

b) By its location

c) It was his own house

d) It was a friend’s house

Answer: c) It was his own house

29. What response did Mead get when he said, “That’s my house”?

a) “We know.”

b) “Be quiet.”

c) No response

d) “You are under arrest.”

Answer: c) No response

30. How does the story end?

a) The car crashes

b) Mead escapes

c) The car drives away leaving silence

d) People come out to help him

Answer: c) The car drives away leaving silence

2. one-mark questions

1. Who said “Not married”?

Answer: The police voice said “Not married.”

2. What does the line “Not married” indicate about Leonard Mead?

Answer: It indicates that Leonard Mead is single.

3. How was the moon described in the passage?

Answer: The moon was high and clear among the stars.

4. What was the condition of the houses at night?

Answer: The houses were gray and silent.

5. Why does Leonard Mead say “Nobody wanted me”?

Answer: He means that no one wanted to marry him.

6. Who told Leonard Mead, “Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to”?

Answer: The police car told Leonard Mead.

7. What was Leonard Mead doing when he was stopped?

Answer: He was walking.

8. What was the weather like when Leonard Mead waited?

Answer: It was a cold night.

9. For how many years had Leonard Mead gone walking?

Answer: He had gone walking every night for years.

10. What reason did Leonard Mead give for walking?

Answer: He said he walked for air, to see, and to walk.

11. Where was the police car positioned during the questioning?

Answer: It was sitting in the center of the street.

12. How did the police car communicate with Mead?

Answer: Through a mechanical voice.

13. How did Leonard Mead behave while talking to the police car?

Answer: He behaved politely.

14. What sound came from the car’s radio?

Answer: A faint humming sound.

15. What sound came after the police voice said “Here”?

Answer: A sigh and a pop.

16. What happened after the sigh and pop?

Answer: The back door of the car opened.

17. What command did the car give to Mead?

Answer: The car ordered him to get in.

18. What was Leonard Mead’s protest to the car?

Answer: He said he hadn’t done anything.

19. How did Mead move toward the car?

Answer: Like a man suddenly drunk.

20. What did Mead see when he looked inside the car?

Answer: He saw that nobody was inside.

21. What was the back seat of the car like?

Answer: It was like a small cell with bars.

22. What smell came from inside the car?

Answer: The smell of metal and antiseptic.

23. Why did the car say Mead needed a wife for an alibi?

Answer: Because a wife could confirm his innocence.

24. What did the car do before answering Mead’s question?

Answer: It clicked and hesitated.

25. Where was the police car taking Leonard Mead?

Answer: To the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies.

26. What did Leonard Mead finally do after being ordered?

Answer: He got into the car.

27. What happened to the car door once Mead entered?

Answer: It shut with a soft thud.

28. What was the appearance of Leonard Mead’s house?

Answer: It was fully lit and bright.

29. How did Leonard Mead identify the bright house?

Answer: He recognized it as his own house.

30. How did the story end?

Answer: The car drove away leaving silence.

3. Reference to Context

Extract 1:

"Not married," said the police voice behind the fiery beam.

1. Who said these words?

Answer: The police car said these words.

2. To whom are these words addressed?

Answer: They are addressed to Leonard Mead.

3. What does “Not married” reveal about Leonard Mead?

Answer: It reveals that he is single.

4. What does the phrase “fiery beam” refer to?

Answer: It refers to the bright light from the police car.

5. What tone does the police voice suggest?

Answer: A cold and mechanical tone.

6. What does this line show about the society?

Answer: It shows that personal details are monitored even by machines.

Extract 2:

The moon was high and clear among the stars and the houses were gray and silent.

1. What time of day is being described here?

Answer: It is nighttime.

2. What is the atmosphere like in this scene?

Answer: It is quiet, calm, and lifeless.

3. What do “gray and silent” houses suggest?

Answer: They suggest emptiness and isolation.

4. Which literary device is used in this line?

Answer: Imagery is used.

5. What does this setting reflect about the society?

Answer: It reflects a world without human warmth or activity.

6. What is the mood created by this line?

Answer: A mood of loneliness and stillness.

Extract 3:

"Nobody wanted me," said Leonard Mead with a smile.

1. Why does Leonard Mead say this?

Answer: Because he is not married and no one chose to marry him.

2. What emotion does he show through the smile?

Answer: He shows acceptance and mild amusement.

3. What does this line tell us about his personality?

Answer: It shows that he is content and self-aware.

4. What is the tone of this statement?

Answer: Lightly humorous but lonely.

5. What does the line imply about social relationships?

Answer: They are rare or unimportant in that society.

6. How does this remark contrast with the police car’s seriousness?

Answer: It highlights Mead’s humanity versus the machine’s coldness.

Extract 4:

"Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to!"

1. Who gives this command?

Answer: The police car gives this command to Mead.

2. What does this show about the car’s attitude?

Answer: It is controlling and authoritarian.

3. What right of Leonard Mead is being denied here?

Answer: His freedom of speech.

4. How does Mead respond to this?

Answer: He quietly obeys, showing his helplessness.

5. What does this reflect about society’s nature?

Answer: It is oppressive and lacks respect for individuality.

6. Identify the tone of the command.

Answer: Harsh and commanding.

Extract 5:

"Just walking, Mr. Mead?"

1. Who is speaking in this line?

Answer: The police car.

2. What is Mead’s action being questioned here?

Answer: His habit of walking at night.

3. Why does the car sound suspicious?

Answer: Because walking is considered strange in that futuristic world.

4. What does this reveal about people’s lifestyle?

Answer: People stay indoors and depend on technology.

5. What does this line suggest about individuality?

Answer: It is viewed as abnormal behaviour.

6. How does this add irony to the story?

Answer: Something normal like walking is treated as a crime.

Extract 6:

The back door of the police car sprang wide.

1. What is happening in this scene?

Answer: The car is ordering Mead to enter.

2. What does this action symbolize?

Answer: It symbolizes his arrest and loss of freedom.

3. How does Mead react to the door opening?

Answer: He hesitates but finally obeys.

4. What feeling is created by “sprang wide”?

Answer: Sudden tension and fear.

5. What kind of car is this?

Answer: A robotic, unmanned police car.

6. What theme does this line highlight?

Answer: The dominance of machines over humans.

Extract 7:

He said he hadn’t done anything.

1. Who is “he” here?

Answer: Leonard Mead.

2. Why does he say this?

Answer: Because he feels innocent for simply walking.

3. What is the car’s reaction to this protest?

Answer: It ignores him and continues to arrest him.

4. What kind of justice system does this show?

Answer: An unfair and automated one.

5. What emotion does Mead express here?

Answer: Confusion and disbelief.

6. What message does this line give the reader?

Answer: Humanity is punished for being natural.

Extract 8:

There was nothing soft in the car; it smelled of harsh antiseptic and metal.

1. What kind of environment is described here?

Answer: A cold and mechanical environment.

2. What sensory imagery is used?

Answer: The sense of smell.

3. What does “antiseptic and metal” symbolize?

Answer: Lifelessness and lack of emotion.

4. How does this contrast with Mead’s personality?

Answer: Mead is warm and imaginative; the car is sterile and rigid.

5. What mood does the description create?

Answer: A mood of discomfort and fear.

6. What theme is represented in this description?

Answer: Dehumanization through technology.

Extract 9:

"To the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies."

1. Who is being taken there?

Answer: Leonard Mead.

2. Who says these words?

Answer: The police car.

3. Why is Mead being taken to that center?

Answer: Because walking alone is seen as abnormal behaviour.

4. What does “Regressive Tendencies” mean?

Answer: Going back to outdated or natural human habits.

5. What does this reveal about the society’s values?

Answer: It values conformity over individuality.

6. What is the tone of the car’s statement?

Answer: Cold and clinical.

Extract 10:

The car moved down the empty streets and the lighted house stood alone in the darkness.

1. Whose house is described here?

Answer: Leonard Mead’s house.

2. What makes his house different from others?

Answer: It is brightly lit, unlike the dark, silent houses.

3. What does the light symbolize?

Answer: Warmth, individuality, and life.

4. What do the “empty streets” suggest?

Answer: A deserted, lifeless city.

5. What is the mood created by this ending?

Answer: Sadness and isolation.

6. What is the deeper message in this closing scene?

Answer: A warning against losing humanity in a mechanical world.

4. Two-Mark Questions

1. Why does Leonard Mead enjoy walking at night?

Answer: Leonard Mead enjoys walking at night because it allows him to observe the quiet streets, feel free, and escape the lifeless, television-obsessed world around him. Walking is his way of connecting with nature, thinking creatively, and expressing individuality in a society that has become dull and mechanical.

2. What kind of world does Ray Bradbury describe in “The Pedestrian”?

Answer: Bradbury presents a futuristic world dominated by technology where people stay indoors watching television instead of interacting with one another. Streets are empty, houses are dark, and individuality is considered abnormal. The story warns about isolation, loss of humanity, and control by machines in such a lifeless society.

3. Why is Leonard Mead stopped by the police car?

Answer: Leonard Mead is stopped by the police car because walking alone at night is considered suspicious in that futuristic society. Since there are no other pedestrians or crimes, his behaviour appears unusual. The machine, programmed to enforce conformity, treats his harmless walk as evidence of mental abnormality.

4. What does the police car symbolize in the story?

Answer: The police car symbolizes the power of technology and the loss of human judgment. It acts mechanically, without compassion or understanding, showing how automation has replaced human thought. Its cold control represents a society where machines dictate behaviour and individuality is punished rather than appreciated.

5. How does Bradbury use imagery to describe the city?

Answer: Bradbury uses vivid imagery—“gray and silent houses,” “fiery beam,” “moon high and clear”—to create an atmosphere of lifelessness and emptiness. The descriptions emphasize the absence of human warmth and activity. The stillness of the city mirrors the mechanical, emotionless nature of its inhabitants and their controlled lives.

6. What is ironic about Leonard Mead’s arrest?

Answer: The irony lies in the fact that Mead, the only sane and alive human being who enjoys nature and thought, is considered mentally unfit. In a world where mindless conformity is normal, his simple act of walking—once ordinary—becomes a crime, exposing society’s complete loss of logic and humanity.

7. What does Leonard Mead’s bright house symbolize?

Answer: Mead’s brightly lit house symbolizes individuality, warmth, and intellectual freedom. While every other house is dark, representing conformity and lifelessness, his house glows with light, reflecting his active mind and human spirit. It stands as a beacon of resistance in an otherwise dull and emotionless world.

8. How does the story criticize modern society?

Answer: The story criticizes modern society’s obsession with technology and comfort. It warns that overreliance on machines can destroy creativity, freedom, and real human relationships. Bradbury suggests that people who stop thinking or engaging with the world may lose their humanity, becoming mere extensions of their devices.

9. How does Bradbury create a mood of loneliness?

Answer: Bradbury creates loneliness through descriptions of silent streets, dark houses, and the absence of human voices. The setting feels deserted, and Mead’s solitary walks highlight his isolation. Even the moonlight and mechanical voice of the police car emphasize the emptiness of a world without human connection.

10. Why is the society in “The Pedestrian” considered dystopian?

Answer: It’s dystopian because the government and machines control people’s behaviour. There is no freedom, art, or genuine communication. Technology dominates every aspect of life, making humans passive and isolated. Individual thought is discouraged, and those who act differently, like Mead, are labelled abnormal or mentally ill.

11. What does the phrase “Regressive Tendencies” reveal about the authorities’ mindset?

Answer: The phrase “Regressive Tendencies” shows that the authorities view natural human actions, such as walking or enjoying solitude, as backward or mentally disturbed. It reveals a warped mindset where progress means total dependence on technology, and emotional, creative behaviours are seen as threats to social order.

12. Describe Leonard Mead’s character traits.

Answer: Leonard Mead is intelligent, observant, independent, and sensitive. He values human connection, creativity, and peace over mechanical comfort. His polite manner and quiet rebellion against conformity show courage. He represents individuality and thoughtfulness in a dehumanized world that discourages personal freedom and emotional expression.

13. What role does technology play in shaping people’s lives in the story?

Answer: Technology completely controls people’s lives. Televisions dominate homes, replacing conversation and social activity. Even the police are replaced by a single robotic car, removing human judgment. People become passive, emotionless, and isolated, showing how technology can enslave rather than serve humanity when left unchecked.

14. How does the story’s ending reinforce its message?

Answer: The ending, with the police car driving away into silent streets and Mead’s bright house fading behind, reinforces the theme of isolation. It shows that individuality has no place in a mechanized world. The final silence represents a society that has silenced imagination and human freedom completely.

15. What warning does Ray Bradbury give through “The Pedestrian”?

Answer: Bradbury warns that blind dependence on technology will destroy real human life. If people abandon nature, thinking, and personal connection for comfort and screens, they will lose their humanity. The story urges readers to preserve curiosity, individuality, and emotional warmth before machines replace them entirely.

5. Three-Mark Questions

1. Describe how Ray Bradbury presents the setting in “The Pedestrian.”

Answer: Bradbury creates a bleak futuristic city where streets are empty, houses dark, and silence replaces human voices. The moonlit imagery of “gray and silent houses” and “dry riverbeds” highlights lifelessness. Television has imprisoned people indoors, erasing outdoor life. The deserted setting mirrors emotional emptiness, technological domination, and social decay, symbolizing how human warmth and imagination vanish when mechanical comfort replaces genuine living, conversation, and creativity.

2. How does Leonard Mead’s behaviour differ from the rest of society?

Answer: Leonard Mead walks alone at night, observing nature, thinking, and enjoying solitude—actions considered abnormal. Unlike others glued to their television screens, he values freedom, imagination, and human experience. His walks symbolize resistance to conformity. While society is lifeless and controlled by machines, Mead remains emotionally alive, thoughtful, and individualistic, representing the last spark of humanity in a robotic, sterile world obsessed with sameness and technological dependence.

3. Explain the role and symbolism of the police car in the story.

Answer: The police car symbolizes a soulless, authoritarian system controlled by machines. It enforces rules blindly without human reasoning or empathy. Speaking in a cold mechanical voice, it treats Leonard Mead’s harmless walk as a crime. Its lifeless, antiseptic interior reflects technological oppression. The car represents the triumph of automation over conscience, a society where emotionless surveillance replaces human judgment, warning readers of the dangers of surrendering control to technology.

4. In what ways does “The Pedestrian” criticize technological advancement?

Answer: The story criticizes technology for dehumanizing society. Bradbury shows that when people depend too much on machines and entertainment screens, they lose creativity, freedom, and emotional warmth. The city’s silence, lack of communication, and absence of natural joy reveal technology’s power to enslave minds. Leonard Mead, who rejects this lifeless comfort, becomes a symbol of resistance. Bradbury warns that unthinking progress can destroy individuality and make humanity mechanical and spiritless.

5. How does Bradbury portray isolation and loneliness in the story?

Answer: Isolation dominates the story—streets are deserted, houses sealed, and people imprisoned behind screens. Leonard Mead, though free, is alone in an unfeeling world. His conversations are with himself, echoing society’s silence. The imagery of “gray and silent houses” and “empty streets” intensifies alienation. Even the police voice lacks warmth. Bradbury portrays loneliness as the inevitable result of a society that replaces human interaction with technological obsession and emotional emptiness.

6. What is the significance of Leonard Mead’s bright house at the end?

Answer: Mead’s brightly lit house stands in stark contrast to the city’s darkness, symbolizing individuality, knowledge, and warmth. It reflects his creative mind and refusal to conform. The light signifies life and hope amid a dead society. However, as the police car drives away with him, that light becomes a fading symbol of freedom extinguished by a controlling, mechanical civilization that fears independent thought and human emotion.

7. Why does the society consider Leonard Mead mentally ill?

Answer: The society labels Mead mentally ill because he behaves differently—he walks, observes, and thinks independently instead of staying indoors watching TV. In a world that values conformity and technological passivity, individuality is treated as madness. His arrest for “regressive tendencies” reveals a distorted civilization where natural, human behaviour is seen as dangerous rebellion against the machine-controlled norm, exposing the absurdity of enforced uniformity and emotional sterility.

8. What message or warning does Ray Bradbury convey through the story?

Answer: Bradbury warns against losing humanity to technology. He suggests that dependence on machines, screens, and automation erases imagination, emotion, and social connection. “The Pedestrian” urges readers to value thought, nature, and personal freedom before mechanical convenience consumes them. Through Leonard Mead’s isolation and arrest, Bradbury predicts a future where individuality is punished, and society, though technologically advanced, becomes spiritually empty and inhuman.

 

COURTESY: Meta AI & ChatGPT

Compiled by Dr. Shankar D Mishra

 

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