Information about The Pedestrian

For the unrelated film of the same name, see The Pedestrian (film).

The Pedestrian is a short story by author Ray Bradbury. This story was originally published in 1951 by The Fortnightly Publishing Company. It is included in the collection The Golden Apples of the Sun (1953).

In this story we encounter Leonard Mead, a citizen of a television-centred world in the year A.D.2053. In the city roads have fallen into decay and people only leave their homes during the day. It is revealed that Mead enjoys to walk through the city during the night, something which no-one else does. On one of his usual walks he encounters a robotic police car. It is the only police unit in a city of three million. The police car struggles to understand why Mr. Mead would be out walking for no reason and decides to take him to the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies.

This story demonstrates certain similarities to Fahrenheit 451. Particularly, in the analagous characters of Leonard Mead and Clarisse McClellan.

It was also made into an episode of The Ray Bradbury Theater, starring David Ogden Stiers as Leonard Mead.