5.1 About the story
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| author | Ray Bradbury, American writer of science fiction |
| first published | 1951 |
| setting | an American city, on a misty November evening in A.D. 2053 |
| main character | Leonard Mead, a writer |
| Mead's habit | walking alone every night for ten years |
| other walkers met | none, in ten years |
| what people do at night | sit in dark houses watching viewing screens |
| Mead's footwear | sneakers (instead of hard-heeled shoes) |
| the police car | the only one in a city of three million; no driver |
| Mead's "profession" according to the car | none |
| what Mead lacks that everyone has | a viewing screen |
| where he is taken | the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies |
| the ending | they pass Mead's house — the only brightly lit house |
5.2 Key events in order
- On a November night in 2053, Mead sets out on his usual walk.
- He stands at an intersection and chooses a direction among empty moonlit avenues.
- He passes dark houses lit only by TV screens — like a graveyard.
- He walks in sneakers so as not to make dogs bark or lights come on.
- On his way home, a lone police car catches him in its headlights.
- A metallic voice questions him: name, profession, purpose, air conditioner, viewing screen, marriage.
- He is ordered into the car — which has no driver.
- He is told he will be taken to the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies.
- They pass his house, the only one brightly lit; the car drives on.
5.3 Mead and his society
| Mead | The society of 2053 |
|---|---|
| walks outdoors at night | stays indoors |
| no viewing screen | everyone watches screens |
| a writer — reads and writes | nobody reads; books and magazines do not sell |
| enjoys nature, air, silence | lives in air-conditioned rooms |
| his house is brightly lit | houses are dark, with grey TV glow |
| individual | conformist |
| treated as mentally ill | treated as normal |