The Dolls House by Patricia Grace

A contributing factor to the short stories, The Doll’s House by Patricia Grace and the Pedestrian by Bradbury, is the two characters that we come to admire. Through the characterisation of Kezia Burnell and Leonard Mead we are able to understand the main idea of the stories.

Kezia Burnell is a girl who offers an alternate way to the common paths of thinking in her prejudiced society. She presents a change to the prejudiced traditions in her society which prohibit associating with the Kelveys, a family who are frowned upon in the town because of their economic status. The quote “Can I ask the Kelveys’ just once?” proves that Kezia is not bound by the prejudiced laws of society as her defiance displays her strong will to follow the path she believes is right. Even though her opinions are put down by others, she befriends the Kelveys and proves that prejudiced opinions are learned not inherited.

Leonard Mead is a man alone in the year of AD 2052. His character proves that he is a simple man with a simple life, who enjoys walking for hours only to return home at midnight. Through this hobby he displays that he too, like Kezia is not bound by the strict laws of society which encourage him to sit in front of a box and gaze into a screen. During his walks, he has yet to encounter another human being as they have lost reason to be outside because they have viewing screens. One November night, he encounters an automatic police car and is questioned as to why he walks around. “Walking for air. Walking to see” is Leonard Mead’s only justification for his supposedly abnormal hobby.

Both Kezia Burnell and Leonard Mead offer alternatives to the common prejudiced