The Destructive Nature Of Technology In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Every day, everywhere people are using technology to check email, calculate tax, and talk with each other. Technology has greatly affected the social structure today and in Fahrenheit 451. Technology has effected how the TV controls our lives, how we communicate with one another, and how strong the social structure is In both the real world and Fahrenheit 451.

Fahrenheit 451 is a book by Ray Bradbury, written after World War II and it examines the corruption of technology in a dystopian society. This book explains how a dystopian society works and how people are so attached to television and cars and do not enjoy the natural world. People in a dystopian society are full of fear and sadness. They do not have equality or freedom, they are all so soaked up in technology that it is illegal for them to do simple stuff, such as, reading books. The book, Fahrenheit 451 explains how firefighters start fires rather than stopping them. A firefighter’s job is do burn books, since books are illegal to have because they go against the power of technology and modernization. In a dystopian society, people should be unhappy, unequal, violent, and brutalized and that is what is exactly being seen throughout this book. As Ray Bradbury captures the attention of many readers, he captures our attention on how the future could be if technology would become so extreme. Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451 is not about control, but it is a novel about how television destroys curiosity in reading literature.

The characters in Fahrenheit 451 are addicted to the technology that is in their society. One character that exemplifies this technology addiction is Mildred. The technology that she is the most obsessive over is the parlor walls. The parlor walls can best be described as televisions covering all the walls of an entire room. While most parlor walls have four televisions, Montag’s and Mildred’s parlor walls only have three. Mildred questions Montag by saying, “How long do you figure before we save up and get the fourth wall torn out and a fourth wall –TV put in? It’s only two-thousand dollars” (20). Montag responds with “That’s one-third of my yearly pay” (20) and is astonished by how naive Mildred is. Mildred is so blindsided by her beloved parlor walls, that she doesn’t even recognize how lazy she is and how hard that Montag works to provide for her. She doesn’t see or understand the bigger picture, she only sees the parlor walls as most important. Mildred expects to get another parlor wall because she is addicted to them. In another statement, she says a rude comment in return to Montag asking, “Will you turn the parlor off?” (49). Mildred responds with, “That’s my family” (49) and doesn’t give it a second thought. Even though Montag and Mildred are married, Mildred says that the parlor walls are her family and implies that they are more of a

Technology is a really big thing that Bradbury criticized in Fahrenheit 451. He did not believe that technology would be very helpful in this society. He talked about how there were parlors that had walls of television. People were so addicted to television that people referred to to television characters as their “family” and that made them very anti-social. Another thing technology ruined in the book was books. The

First, Technology causes one to be distracted from making personal interaction. Like when Montag felt sick, the day after he remembers that he burns a lady with her books and Mildred was just watching her parlors. In the novel, Fahrenheit 451 it states, “Will you turn off?” he asked. “That’s my family.” “Will you turn it off for a sick man.”(pg.49) Mildred thinks that her family is the parlor and she is being distracted by leaving behind the reality and going to technology. This means that she is being affected by the Technology and she is being distracted by no seeing the real family, and putting the parlor wall as her family this will affect her relationship with her husband. In addition, from the novel, it states, “At least keep, it down to the minimum!” he yelled. “What?” she cried… when they stepped out of the car she had the seashells stuffed in her ear.”(pg.46) Mildred is distracted by the technology and she is causing it by using the seashells and not interacting with Montag. This means Mildred is using seashells for she could distract herself from interacting but it will affect her relationship. All adds up, Mildred uses technology to be distracted and makes Montag to be isolated because they are always together but mildred always talk to the parlors and not Montag.

In Fahrenheit 451, technology ruins literature, and everyone’s life. Similar to in “Kid Kustomers”, technology ruins parents’ lives, as it explains that businesses are targeting kids for advertisements. These kids, annoy their parents until they give in to what they want. Both of the technology used in these texts is television. In Fahrenheit, television is responsible for replacing literature, curiosity, and intelligence. Technology is also the government's use of oppression. Faber states in Fahrenheit 451, “He took Montag quickly into the bedroom and lifted a picture frame aside, revealing a television screen the size of a postal card. "I always wanted something very small, something I could talk to, something I could blot out with the palm of my hand, if necessary, nothing that could shout me down, nothing monstrous big” (Bradbury Chap.2). Faber recognizes the power and danger that television has, and its ability to take over. Similar to how television is the main source of misconception and technology in Fahrenheit, Eric Schlosser states, “Far from being banned, TV advertising aimed at kids is now broadcast twenty-four hours a day, closed—captioned and in stereo...The typical American child now spends about twenty-one hours a week watching television — roughly one and a half months of TV every year” (Schlosser 3/4). This quote demonstrates how television is being used as business, rather than its original design for enjoyment. In conclusion, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and “Kid Kustomers” by Eric Schlosser, both use technology as a misconception, and a

“In the last 50 years, up to 100,000 Americans lost their lives due to inactivity leading to some sort of conditional disease such as heart disease [including the laziness within people of society]” (Wise 12). So many people have died from becoming lazy, doing nothing but go on their phones, devices, rather than doing everyday things. Technology has changed the way society approaches life, always depending on it rather than themselves and others. The society today consists of nothing but TV screens, telephone, smartphones, iPads, and items the 19th century would consider a dream to lay hands on. A book written by Bradbury presents lack of effort people put into their lives and society; Bradbury predicts how the future will become later on in the society. Becoming more similar to the laziness and ignorance in the novel, Fahrenheit 451, the society today struggles the society today struggles with dependency on technology which results to lack of social interactions with one another and failure in becoming literate with books.

People believe that an abundance of technology and fast, busy lives are beneficial to more efficient and overall better society. In reality, that lifestyle may be a detriment to society. The culture, characters, and themes in Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 create an interesting dystopian setting that serves as a warning to future readers.

In Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag, the protagonist in the book, lives in a period of time where television is imperative while literature is on the verge of eradicating. Bradbury portrays a society where entertainment is not only a distraction, but it becomes a dominant aspect in the way individuals function in society. Furthermore, Montag’s ideal world is a world that sees a concept in books rather than television. We live in a world full of advanced technology, however there are drawbacks in the midst of the benefits. Fahrenheit 451 is an example that depicts the disadvantages that comes with the overuse of technology.

Montag is sick, physically and emotionally. Realizing his wife would rather watch TV than care for him; that the world is an empty, cruel place; and that there are things out there which are worth dying for makes him even more so. Technology starts to become a main influence on the actions of the people in society. Montag’s wife, Mildred, is said to have “lost herself in technology”. She confines herself in the living room of the couple’s house to three life-sized television screen walls. These walls speak to her and hold conversations with her more than actual people do. Mildred yells at Montag for turning off her “family”. Montag is her husband, but Mildred relates fictional programmed characters to her only family. The issue of technology technically brainwashes the people of this science fiction society. People believe that if technology gets more advanced it would end society because people would probably forget about everything. Bradbury thinks that with technology surrounding us, people will stop reading books. If people stop reading books they will forget about things that are extremely important, which include history, how and why people act in different ways, how life began, and other things that are important today but with technology they are going to fade away. Another thing that could happen if

Michael J. Fox once said, “Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” (Michael J Fox) However, in Fahrenheit 451 and “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury this idea is aggressively rejected. The characters in Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, live in a society where technology negatively impacts their family and relationships with each other. Similarly, the characters in Bradbury’s short story, “The Veldt” are captivated by technology which has a huge toll on their family and relationships. Fahrenheit 451 and “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury discusses the negative impact technology has on family and relationships through the use of symbolism, imagery and character development in both stories.

Throughout the book “Fahrenheit 451,” author Ray Bradbury discusses the many dangers of censorship and dangers of technology. Bradbury includes multiple scenarios of examples such as, the variety of issues and problems that follow these dangers to show its effect on society. Although Bradbury goes into detail about both conflicts, the predicament that seems to be the most accurate interpretation of “Fahrenheit 451” is the dangers of censorship. From the lack of societies knowledge, to the failing of social bonds, to even the daily behavior of the people, Bradbury describes these issues to a tee and uses the characters to display these issues.

Ever see firefighter’s burn houses because it was their job? What about books being completely outlawed? In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury creates a futuristic, dystopian society, in where people are engulfed by an influx of technology. In this odd world, people are more concerned about technology than they are about people. In Fahrenheit 451, the book serves as a warning to us about the negative effects of the overuse of technology.

Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, is based in a futuristic time where technology rules our everyday lives and books are viewed as a bad thing because it brews free thought. Although today’s technological advances haven’t caught up with Bradbury’s F451, there is a very real danger that society might end up relying on technology at the price of intellectual development. Fahrenheit 451 is based in a futuristic time period and takes place in a large American City on the Eastern Coast. The futuristic world in which Bradbury describes is chilling, a future where all known books are burned by so called "firemen." Our main character in Fahrenheit 451 is a fireman known as Guy Montag, he has the visual characteristics of the average

Today, teens are spending one third of their day using technology according to a new study released by Common Sense Media. That is a whole nine hours spent mindlessly surfing the web or watching cat videos. In the science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury writes a social commentary on what the future may look like if technology continues to be overused. In his dystopia, all books are banned and the government controls almost every aspect of people’s lives by brainwashing them with technology. Firemen burn down people’s houses who have books, Guy Montag being one of them. Slowly, Montag starts to question his society and steal books, to the dismay of his technology obsessed wife, Mildred. Bradbury uses Mildred as a symbol of societal corruption to highlight the dangers of excessively using technology.