A common theme that is present in both “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury and “The Fun They Had” by Isaac Asimov is to never take anything for granted no matter how mundane it may seem. Both of these stories are set in the future and people are living under very different circumstances compared to the present. The example represented in the first story is walking. In this future everyone is glued to their TV screens and they rarely go outside, so when the main character Leonard goes out for a walk simply for the reason of getting some air, it seems unusual and suspicious. Therefore, he is taken away by a police car. Leonard also describes how since in this setting everyone is always inside he feels like he is alone in the world. The story states, “he was alone in this world of A.D. 2053, or as good as alone” (Bradbury 1). This story really allows one to think about the direction that the world seems to be going in and it serves as a reminder to never take anything for granted, including something as small as going for a walk. The second story illustrates the same theme. The characters talk about school and how they do not enjoy it. Each student has an individual mechanical teacher who stays with them in their home and teaches all of their lessons. Presently, kids often talk about how they don’t like school and how they wish that they did not have to go, but the setting of this story demonstrates how no one should take school for granted, and how different it could potentially be. Since the kids in the story are living in the future, they find a book about schools many years ago and they are in awe of the things they are missing out on, especially the social aspect it used to possess. When the main character Margie is thinking about the old schools she imagines how, “All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day” (Asimov 2). It is clear that both of these stories serve as reminders of how important it is not to take anything for granted and to appreciate the smaller things in life, because no one knows what the future might hold and those smaller privileges could easily be taken away.
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