Compare And Contrast Pedestrian And Fahrenheit 451

Essay: Science Fiction Dystopian Society
Imagine a world full of technology to the extent where everyone becomes reliant on it, and due to its prevalence, technology is forced by the government to the general public. Societies like these are conveyed by the two well known authors, Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut. In Bradbury’s “Pedestrian” and “Fahrenheit 451,” most of the society is seemingly in a “bubble,” where the public is unable to think for themselves and develop a complete reliance on the technology around them. The very few minorities that are not completely occupied by technology, either is unaccepted by the government or is considered an abnormal individual in society. Likewise in Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron,” society’s way

As Bradbury demonstrates this setting of emptiness: “In ten years of walking by night or day, for thousands of miles, he had never met another person walking, not once in all that time” (Bradbury 1). It is here where the author fully stresses the emptiness of the city through the use of phrases pertaining to time and distance such as “ten years” and “thousands of miles.” As a result of the emphasis the author placed to describe the setting of emptiness, the reader could infer that a large majority of the city is at home occupied by technology, such as watching television, going on laptops, or other means of technology, rather than spending time outside enjoying life and its environment. This quote contributes to the bigger picture as it conveys a warning to the human civilization and how occupied/distracted everyone could become of technology. Bradbury also conveys his warning by demonstrating a contrast in the setting. As the once busiest streets juxtaposes to the streets during the present day of the setting: “During the day it was a thunderous surge of cars, the gas stations open… But now these highways, too, were like streams in a dry season, all stone and bed and moon radiance” (Bradbury 1). Here, the author makes a comparison of the

As the use of technological handicaps suppresses George’s ability to think: “He tried to think a little about ballerinas… George was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn’t be handicapped. But he didn’t get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts” (Vonnegut 1). Therefore, not only these handicaps affect George’s ability to think, but the dancers themselves are under handicaps too. With the notion of ‘complete equality’ society has on its people, the handicaps, which is only possible through the advancements of technology, restrains one from expressing his/her true individuality and talents. This ultimately serves as a warning to the reality of the modern society as handicaps exist, and the intentions of it could be expanded by technology to the extent where it restrains one’s ability. Vonnegut also conveys his warning by contrasting the characters with and without handicaps. The contrast of the use of handicaps and without them demonstrated: “The musicians scrambled back into their chairs, and Harrison stripped them of their handicaps too… It was normal at first-cheap, silly, false. But Harrison snatched two musicians from their chairs, waved them like batons as he sang the