Conflicts In The Pedestrian, And The Trip

What could three short stories about illegal immigration, life in 2053, and a man hanging off a window possibly have in common? Although the stories have different plots and subjects, the similar literary elements contribute to the way the reader feels, and the way the story is developed. In the short stories; “The Pedestrian,” by Ray Bradberry, “The Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets,” by Jack Finney, and “The Trip,” by Laila Lalami, there are similar settings, themes, characters, and conflicts that help develop the story.
Throughout the three selected short stories, the settings develop a suspenseful mood. In “The Pedestrian”, Mr. Mead is walking alone down the street, with no one else anywhere around; “To enter out into the silence that

During “The Pedestrian”, Mr. Mead is walking alone, with no one around. He was even alone when he was arrested, “The car moved down the empty riverbed streets and off away, leaving the empty streets with the empty sidewalks and no sound and no motion all the rest of the chill November night.” Mr. Mead is the only character in the entire story of “The Pedestrian”, which is an important detail because that is a main part of his conflict. In “The Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets”, Tom was also alone during majority of the story when he was on the ledge. The absence of his wife greatly contributed to his conflict, “It was the second feature she’d wanted to see, and she’d left in time to see the first. She’d be another three hours or- he glanced at his watch: Clare had been gone for eight minutes. It wasn’t possible, but only eight minutes ago he kissed his wife good-by.” By Tom being alone, it develops one of his major conflicts, of not being able to get a back into his apartment. “The Trip”, however, can be contrasted to the two previous stories. Unlike, “The Pedestrian” and “The Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket”, Murad is with many people during majority of the story. During Murad’s main conflict of getting arrested, the narrator says, “The officer from the Guardia Civil wears fatigues, and a black beret cocked over his shaved head. His name tag reads Martinez. He sits inside the van with Murad and the other illegals, the dog at his feet.” Murad is with other illegals who are facing the same problems as him, where as in the other two short stories, the protagonist being alone play a significant role in developing the