1.
2.
3.
Destruction of the
individual
Danger of
technology
State Oppression
(police state, TV
made to brainwash
people, Centre for
Regressive
Tendencies)
Admiration, respect, do
we worry about him,
pity, hate...?
 Something
we all want to be, conveyed
throughout the story. Whether we mark
ourselves out by what we wear, say or do, we
all want to be seen as an individual. No one
likes to be a face in the crowd. The fact
that he keeps all his lights on in his house
suggests he wants to stand out as an
individual. Literally his house stands out as
all the other houses are grey and tomb like,
metaphorically this shows he is an individual.
He is compared to a hawk, further adding to
the idea he strives for freedom.
 There
is nothing to stimulate the intellect of
the population here. Despite the (large)
number of TV channels, there is a complete
absence of any political programme which
might challenge the government. Possibly
suggesting brain-washing. If not, it is clear
from the way that the population is
described that they are not capable
intellectually of challenging the government
– they are portrayed as automatons –
unthinking, unchallenging, uninformed.
 Mr
Mead has not seen any one else on his
walks for years. Maybe he hopes that he will
meet someone on his walk. He has been
walking for a long time so he has not given
up hope.
 Technology
has taken over the lives of
people. We all want something to believe in.
Something that is unshakeable and helps us
understand the world around us. Mr Mead
doesn't have a TV, he has clearly not to
succumbed to temptation and bought one,
showing he has strong resolve. He does not
believe they are good for mankind so he
refuses to buy one.
 Mr
Mead doesn’t seem upset by the fact he
doesn’t have a wife. He seems happy in his
own company. The police car is ‘surprised’
that he is not married, again showing that he
doesn’t feel the need to conform to societies
norms.
 Mead
used to work as a writer, clearly you
need to be intelligent to do this. He refuses
to be dumbed down by TV. Despite the fact
that writing has now become ‘extinct’ he
still refuses to get a TV, again, this shows
that he is desperately trying to remain an
individual in a faceless society. Throughout
the story he expresses cynicism towards TV.
 Everyone
has something of a rebellious
streak in them. We don’t like to be bossed
around and told what to do. Although he
gets into the police car, (unlikely he could
outrun it) Mead does stand up to the car
initially. This shows he is brave and is willing
to hold his ground against oppressive
authority.
 In
life, we are all searching for something.
Usually, it is happiness. This can come from
family work, love etc. Perhaps Leonard is
out walking searching for another person who
is like-minded, who does not sit inside and
have their soul sucked from them by
Technology.