Analysis Of Farenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

(MIP-1) One way the characters can feel disconnected is in relation to the people around them. (SIP-A) In Bradbury’s book, those who are fixated on items seem to be incapable of forming any connection of depth to another person. (STEWE-1)When Montag’s wife Millie invites some friends over, the women show this lack of connection and deeper understanding by the way they speak about politics. Prodded into the topic with the goal of pleasing Montag, they discuss the recent election. However, it is clear as the characters talk that their understanding of the candidates’ campaigns is minimal at best. When the winning candidate (now the president) is mentioned, the way that the characters focus primarily on appearance shows their lack of connection

This inability to see past what lies on the surface is their disconnection to other people put into practice. (STEWE-2) Millie’s friends also exemplify their shallow connections by the way they speak to each other. At this point in the novel, Montag has already noticed how warped their society has become. He stands at the doorway to the parlor, and overhears their discussion. Their words have no substance, their compliments aimed towards the surface image of each other. The conversation consists of “Doesn’t everyone look nice… You look fine, Millie… Everyone looks swell.” As readers, we may not know who says what, but it doesn’t matter. They all say the same words in different ways. This repetition is emphasized with their replies of “Nice… Fine… Swell” (Bradbury 89). In their society, their obsession with the shows on the parlor walls keeps them from discussing anything of substance. (SIP-B) However, characters without such fixations show their profound ability to form connections with the people around

(SIP-A) Many characters do not understand themselves and prove to be out-of-touch to the reasons behind their knee-jerk reactions, leading them to search for solutions in objects. (STEWE-1) Millie is one example of this. When Montag states that he is feeling destructive, she does not talk to him and try to root out the cause. She doesn’t suggest that he see a therapist, or confide in her, as many in our lives would. No, when Montag admits that “Right now [he’s got] an awful feeling [he wants] to smash things and kill things”, Millie suggests what she has learned to do. She says, “I always like to drive fast when I feel that way… It’s fun out in the country. You kill rabbits, sometimes you hit dogs” (Bradbury 61). Millie doesn’t bother to identify a reason when she’s upset; she turns to a material thing to get the emotion out of her system. Her strategy for fixing her emotional issues is to get in her car and drive quickly and dangerously; she admits that she is often likely to hit animals, but with no concern or guilt in her voice. She is so far gone down the rabbit hole of consumerism that she doesn’t care why deep down she’s sad- all Millie is searching for now is something to stave off the unwanted emotion. (STEWE-2) Beatty explains during his monologue to Montag that this materialistic disconnection from one’s own identity was orchestrated. The materialism in their