“The Pedestrian”

What is science fiction? Science Fiction is writing set in an imaginary future. A key feature of science fiction is technology. Sometimes we are in conflict with it, sometimes we need it to rescue us.

Science Fiction as a genre Science fiction is hard to define, however there are certain conventions of the genre which are broadly applicable, and certainly come up in 'The Pedestrian': The use of a futuristic setting "...in this world of A.D., 2053..." The use of advanced science / technology "As he had expected, there was no-one in the front seat, no-one in the car at all." The exploration of alternative societies "In ten years of walking by night or day, for thousands of miles, he had never met another person walking, no one in all that time."

Dystopian literature Dystopian literature deals with a society that embodies a flawed perfection and this perfection is achieved at a cost.

Narration style The text is clearly written in the third person, but it is also written from the point of view of Mr. Leonard Mead - it is his thoughts and feelings that we are constantly exposed to through the story:

The setting The short story takes place on a city street at night; The year is 2053; It is a totalitarian, restrictive society which means that people do not have any freedom and someone makes all decisions for them; This is a society in terminal decline

Contrasting settings The one main setting of the short story is Mead’s head and is the only place where things are alive. The rest of the population and the city itself are portrayed as being dead.

Control The clearest indication of the nature of the government control comes in the interrogation of the police car to Mead: The lack of recognition of Mead’s profession and the incredulity that he does not have a TV set hint strongly at state control.

In this dystopian society, anything connected with the arts: creativity, beauty, the senses… is not recognised. Only that which is manufactured is recognised. Books and writing have no place in this regime.

The police car The imagery associated with the police car is harsh, cold, threatening, oppressive, that of hunter and its paralysed prey. The voice of the police car also sounds robotic: short, sharp peremptory commands contrast with Mead’s fuller more warm and personal replies.

In a similar manner, the police car is unable to comprehend that Mead was simply walking for its own pleasurable sake.

Main characters Mr. Leonard Mead, a writer who 'dearly loves' to walk the streets of the city at night – 'just to walk' ; The police car, which has no human drivers and dismisses Mr. Mead's profession and lifestyle before arresting him.

Irony The great irony in this short story is that Mead – the only sane man in this insane society is being sent to an asylum.

Symbolism On their way to the asylum though, they pass Mead’s house. It is ablaze with lights in contrast to the dark city. “electric light brilliantly lit, every window a loud yellow illumination.” It is a symbol of hope of vibrant life – light is a universal symbol of hope, but the car is swallowed up once more into the darkness (literally and figuratively).

Structure Mead’s capture is represented in stages. To begin with, there is an empowering image of him as a hawk – conveying a sense of freedom with his reaction to the car ”not unlike a night moth, stunned by the illumination” The short story remains fairly uneventful throughout, therefore the structure reflects this. However, the featurelessness of structure (which in turn reflects the bleakness of the landscape) is broken by the tension created by the interrogation of the police car.

The apparent tedium of the walk through the grey town is transformed into a gripping tense episode.

Near the end, the short story bursts into another high point of hope with the wonderful climactic symbol of the house ablaze with light – a symbol of hope. Nevertheless, we are again plunged into dark anti-climax as we realise that the house is only one lone point of hope, soon to be submerged within the blanket of darkness everywhere.

Themes dehumanisation of society through over-dependence on technology the impact of television (or, indeed, any technology) on the lives in individuals the roots and effects of loneliness