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Literary Devices
Genre
Explanation and Analysis:
“The Pedestrian” is a short story that could be categorized as both speculative fiction and science fiction. Speculative fiction is an umbrella category that includes all works of fiction set outside the real world (including fantasy, horror, etc.). Science fiction is a category within speculative fiction that is typically centered on imagined worlds and futures with significant technological advancement.
The science fiction elements in “The Pedestrian” include the fact that watching television (a recent invention at the time Bradbury wrote the story) is at the center of life in the unnamed city in which the story is set. Not only is every single person in the neighborhood (except for Mead) watching television during the story, but the automated police car that stops Mead during his evening walk explicitly asks him why he isn’t at home in front of his “viewing screen.”
The police car is another science fiction element in the story. The following passage—in which the narrator reflects on the presence of the car—captures the way that Bradbury uses the police car to build the speculative world of the story:
The police, of course, but what a rare, incredible thing; in a city of three million, there was only one police car left, wasn't that correct? Ever since a year ago, 2052, the election year, the force had been cut down from three cars to one. Crime was ebbing; there was no need now for the police, save for this one lone car wandering and wandering the empty streets.
Here, the narrator explains how “crime was ebbing” in this city, such that the police force now only needs one automated car. The implication here is that, because of the population’s fixation with their television sets, and their general complacency regarding their authoritarian government’s rule, crime is down, and police are no longer needed. While some people may see this as positive, Bradbury paints it as indicative of a loss of spontaneity, humanity, and freedom.
Related Themes:
