Distractions In Fahrenheit 451

In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the idea of finding distractions in order to avoid reality becomes highly prevalent. The society in this book depended greatly on distractions and rarely ever felt true raw emotions. The main character’s wife is a prime example of unhealthily yearning for distractions. She was constantly overwhelming herself with technology and medication, distracting herself from her life around her, once to the point of an accidental overdose on sleeping pills. When asked about the incident she replied “‘oh, I wouldn't do that’” and in fact she had no idea she had taken so many pills, which is extremely harmful and concerning (Bradbury 17). This book was also written during a time of great technological innovation,

People find distractions in order to avoid stressors in their life, to procrastinate, and/or to escape reality. However, there is another common and harmful cause of distraction; grief. The idea of focusing one's mind on something else is a commonly advised healing method of grief. Similar to the distractions referenced in Fahrenheit 451, people turn to drugs, technology, work, etc.
The exact definition of grief is “the anguish experienced after significant loss, usually the death of a beloved person” (American Psychological Association). When a person is in a state of bereavement, another term for grief, there are a number of different ways they could attempt to heal. Oftentimes people try to distract themselves from the pain they are experiencing which can result in different ways. This leads to the question: To what extent are distractions when grieving beneficial?
There are a number of ways people distract themselves when grieving and two of the most prominent ones are work and technology. Both can be beneficial to the grieving process, but it is questioned how the benefits compare with the

However, with work only being a temporary fix that makes the “day go by faster,” there is room for less harmful and more productive methods of coping. Like working, technology is another distraction people turn to when bereaved. Such technology to be considered can be social media, video games, and television. The Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin tells about a Virginia Tech student who found comfort and distraction in social media. She felt that when she was having a hard time she would go onto one of her social media sites and “‘feel just a little more connected to people’”(Vicary and Fraley). In such circumstances it is resources such as technology that can help people feel