By Ivy Powell
Ray Bradbury is an amazing writer, and his writing will forever impact the world of reading.
I often find it difficult to read. Growing up with a hard time making friends, I found books and their widespread creative freedom of imagination made things feel a lot easier to get by. This is my review of a compelling short story by Ray Bradbury.
The Pedestrian is a sci fi piece about a writer who is trapped in an isolated society, much like what was exhibited during the COVID-19 outbreaks back in 2019 through to 2021.
The idea that everything is in your home — temperature systems, fake grass, toys, entertainment — so there would be no reason for you to break from that boundless amount of stimulation. Self-driving cars and jobs overtaken by robots to seemingly “take that pressure off your hands”, essentially making humans enclosure animals who are useless.
Our main character, Leonard Mead, described excellently by Bradbury, takes a night walk as usual. People watch through the open windows.
Going much farther than he typically would, he finds himself in a run-in with police, or a police car with the artificial striking voice of authority interrogating his reasoning for being outside. Out of his controlled environment, provided specifically to keep the streets clean of crime — or any human life for that matter. Questioning his sanity and finally transporting him to a place more suited for him.
The Pedestrian is such a genuinely interesting piece of writing, incorporating the use of scenarios he felt were realistic for his assumption of what the future may be like. The use of storytelling abilities for this early written piece is incredible.
Without giving too much away. I encourage readers to give this writing a try.
Featured image: Ray Bradbury’s Pedestrian walks an empty night road. Photo: Ivy Powell