Critical essay on the pedestrian

A detailed Summary of Critical essay on the pedestrian

Fifty-three years from now a writer is taken to a psychiatric centre for help because he was walking along the streets. In this essay I will be considering the image of the future created in this short story by analysing the plot, setting, character and theme.

This short story is about a man called Leonard Mead who goes for a quiet stroll on a misty evening at eight o'clock. He stops at the corner of an intersection, peers down and chooses which route he wants to take. Mr Leonard Mead had done this every night for ten years. Sometimes he would go out and not return until after twelve. The strange thing is that he has not met anybody in the street for the last ten years, but by pure coincidence, the only police car in the city of three million happened to stop him that night. The police car interrogates him as to why he is walking the streets and questions him about his profession and marital status. The car cannot believe that he is just walking for air and just to see. The car tells Leonard to get in and he does. Mr Mead assumes that he will be taken home but when he is in the car and the doors locked shut he asks where he is being taken, the car he replies 'to the psychiatric centr

'What are you doing out' says the police car questioningly as if he's committing a crime.

The author gives a hint of mystery by rearranging the words at the beginning of the story, he gives the impression that the world is a lonely and cruel place, 'he was alone or as good as alone'. The author also sets the time in November when it is cold so the trail of frosty air increases the eiry feeling. He uses similes to make the neighbourhood seem as if it is dead, 'it was not unlike walking through a graveyard' or 'there were whisperings and murmurs where a window in a tomb like building was still open'. The author makes the neighbours seem as if they are dead because they do not socialise or have interests in the outside world. This gives the impression that the future will be bleak and the general populations are acting like zombies.

'Walking where, for what' as if it's an abnormal activity. 'And do you not have a viewing screen in you're house to see with?' as if you do not need to see things in reality, you just use the television. When the police car asks for his profession Mr mead replies that he is a writer. The car responds that this is no profession. I think that the reason that the car took Leonard to the psychiatric centre because a writer would be a threat to governmental control. This is because writers have a vivid imagination and would question the system.

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Some common words found in the essay are:
Leonard Mead, , police car, leonard mead, psychiatric centre, eight o'clock, future bleak, viewing screen, mead replies, short story, walking streets, author makes,

Approximate Word count = 951
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English