All about -“The Pedestrian”

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ecemwashere TWr4iGjTlas unsplash
ecemwashere TWr4iGjTlas unsplash

In his story, “The Pedestrian,” Ray Bradbury creates a sense of irony through a number of literary techniques.

Some examples include the way in which the setting mirrors our protagonist, a middle-aged man who is also going about his daily business going from place to place with no real goal or destination in mind. 

The fact that all the people he passes by on this particular day are completely unaware of their surroundings and seem happy as well as fulfilled may be an indicator that they too are, like our protagonist, taking these small moments for granted and living very meager existences.

The story is told entirely from a first-person point of view which makes our protagonist the only voice of the story.

 This makes it all the more ironic that he forgets to pay attention to his surroundings or even for a moment stop and notice what is going on around him. 

He does not take part in any conversation with his fellow pedestrians, but rather just seems oblivious to them, just as they are to him.

 In this way Bradbury may be suggesting that we have no real purpose in our lives, and that the only things that really matter are ourselves and our own personal comfort, rather than being aware of or giving thanks every day for what we have been given.

There is also the idea of our protagonist being more concerned about things that are not real or there. 

Just as he forgets to really look at the people around him, he also does not notice the people who are missing–as if they had never walked down this street before.how does bradbury create irony in his story the pedestrian

This irony is heightened by the fact that these “missing” people may be an indication of how many lives have been lost in wars or tragic accidents or even street violence which has taken place before his very eyes.

It is ironic that Bradbury uses an older person to make the point that we are all walking along in our everyday lives, distracted by other things.

 He suggests that, although it takes very little effort to be aware of your surroundings, it may make the biggest impact on how you live your life–but if you ignore this fact, then it may be too late until you realize that you have indeed missed out on the greatest gift of all.

“The Pedestrian” was written in 1951 and can be found in Bradbury’s collection “The Illustrated Man.” It has also been published separately in book form.

 This 759-word essay only contains 6 lines of dialogue. It is written in the form of a personal narrative.

This story is written from the first person point of view, which means it is told through the eyes of our protagonist.

 This narrative style gives us a sense that we are seeing what happens through his eyes without the filter or interference of another character’s thoughts or reactions.

The setting in this story can be seen as an illustration for what our character’s life is like. 

The place that he walks to and from each day does not seem to have any special meaning. Instead, it just seems like part of his daily routine to get from one place to another no matter how unimportant his destination may seem to everyone else.

 It is ironic that while the other people in the story do not pay any attention to him or each other, they all seem to be content with their daily routine and place in life.

 In this way, Bradbury shows how any part of your life can seem ordinary and meaningless when compared to other people’s lives. 

Similarities between the setting and our main character can also be seen in terms of how unimportant meetings are in his daily routine. 

He decides at the last minute to just walk over there instead of taking time to get into his car and drive there, just like he does with how he goes out into the city every day just because it is part of his daily routine.

The way in which Bradbury presents his theme of ironic detachment through the use of the narrator’s detached narration of the story is clear.

 For example, in one part of the story, when our protagonist is walking along and not paying attention to anything, he happens to walk past a man who has just died. 

As he walks by it does not seem like anything special. He stops on this corner for no reason other than fatigue or simply because someone stopped him. 

He then goes on his way without even taking the time to look at the body on the ground; yet it seems like something that was very important and significant when one of his characters says “he stopped on this corner for no reason other than fatigue or simply because someone stopped him.

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