The Pedestrian

by Ray Bradbury

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The Pedestrian Questions and Answers

The Pedestrian Theme

What was the conflict in "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury? 

What is the tone of Ray Bradbury's "The Pedestrian"?

In "The Pedestrian," what crime did Mr. Mead commit?   

What techniques or imagery does Ray Bradbury use in his short story "The Pedestrian," and how does the story link to the context of utopia?

Regressive Tendencies Definition

How would you describe the atmosphere established in the opening paragraphs of "The Pedestrian"?

How would you describe life in this city in the year 2053 in "The Pedestrian"? Quote a specific example of Bradbury’s use of language that enabled you to arrive at this answer.

What social trends does Ray Bradbury observe and see as potential problems for the society in "The Pedestrian"?

Describe the society in which Leonard Mead lives in Ray Bradbury's short story The Pedestrian.

What is an example of irony in Ray Bradbury's "The Pedestrian"?  

What is a metaphor in "The Pedestrian"?

In The Pedestrian, why does the police car take Leonard to the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies?

How is the repetition of the word “empty” particularly ominous at the end of the story?

In what ways does Mead's fear seem abnormal?

Why does Leonard Mead leave all his lights on?

How do you think that television could be used to suppress people's thoughts and ideas in the story "The Pedestrian"?

The voice from the police-car notes: "No profession" in response to the Mead's statement that he is a writer. What does this particular comment reveal about the society in which the story is set?

What potentially harmful trends might be observed in today's society in "The Pedestrian"?

What is Mr. Leonard Mead's attitude toward the shows on the television? Provide a quotation to support your answer. 

Why his house is lit up brightly, in contrast to the obedient people who spend their evening in darkness?

What is Mead's punishment in "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury?

Why does Leonard Mead wear sneakers when he walks outside in the evening in "The Pedestrian"?

What is significant about the following simile, and how does it add to the mood and/or theme of "The Pedestrian"? "The light held him fixed, like a museum specimen, needle thrust through the chest."

How is Mr. Mead's house different from the other houses in the city in "The Pedestrian"?

Why does the voice from the police car respond, “No profession,” in the story "The Pedestrian"?

What types of figurative language are used in "The Pedestrian"?

How does Ray Bradbury use sensory details to show isolation in "The Pedestrian"?

What is the meaning of the phrase "tomb-like" in the story "The Pedestrian"? 

How is our world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?  

Describe the character Mr. Mead in "The Pedestrian."

Why did the author say "the grey or multicolored lights touching their faces, but never really touching them"?

The Pedestrian Setting

Who are the protagonist and antagonist in Ray Bradbury's short story " The Pedestrian"? What is the conflict, the climax, the conclusion, the theme, and the point of view?

Bradbury uses the words “graveyard,” “grey phantoms,” “tomb-like building,” and “skeletal pattern” in his story "The Pedestrian." What do all these images have in common? Explain the significance to the story.

In "The Pedestrian" by 'Ray Bradbury, what commentary does the author make about television's role in society? 

Identify some stylistic devices used in "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury.

Why do you think Mr. Meade talks to the houses in "The Pedestrian"?

In "The Pedestrian," would you call Leonard Mead a rebel ? Why or why not?

Write a thesis statement about Ray Bradbury's "The Pedestrian."

What ominous fact about this future society is foreshadowed, or hinted at by the "buckling concrete walk" in the first paragraph? As the story develops, what else are you told about the setting of "The Pedestrian"? 

What kind of mood or atmosphere does the setting suggest in "The Pedestrian"?

What is an example of personification from the story "The Pedestrian"?

Describe the environment and setting from "The Pedestrian" that Mr. Leonard Mead lives in. 

In "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury what are several details that describe the houses Leonard passes and the evening streets. What mood do these details create?

What do you think Bradbury's purpose was in writing "The Pedestrian?" How does the setting help him achieve his purpose?

Do you think Leonard Mead will ever again walk his city's streets in "The Pedestrian"?

What do the other people in the city do during the evening?

The text of "The Pedestrian" says that in ten years Mead has never met another person walking. What does this suggest about the setting of the story?

In "The Pedestrian," which of today's problems seems to have been eliminated from Leonard Mead's society? What does Leonard miss that we still enjoy today?