Examples Of Control In Fahrenheit 451

Addiction and Control in Fahrenheit 451 Addicts often rely on their habits in order to give them a sense of control over their lives, but are frequently met with the opposite. Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 is one set in a futuristic society in which books are outlawed. This single law has set off a spiral of negative effects on the citizens of the city. One of these effects includes recurrent cases of addiction and control by the government through dependencies such as drugs, technology, and sadistic tendencies, and these obsessions aren’t too far from today’s reality. Drugs, especially the overlooked ones such as sleeping pills, are commonly abused in Fahrenheit 451, and share similarities to cases in the world today. Mildred’s pill habits

As Montag is coming home from work he finds Mildred passed out and notes “The small crystal bottle of sleeping tablets which earlier today had been filled with thirty capsules and which now lay uncapped” (Bradbury 13). It is clear that this is an important consequence to Bradbury’s deeply impersonal society considering how early and often such themes are mentioned. The frequency of drug abuse and suicide in the novel is directly related to how disconnected the characters are from both information and one another, leading to common cases of depression and detachment. This fragile mental state of its citizens is one of the things that makes it so easy for the government to control and manipulate them. This is not just a case of fiction however, as drug abuse due to disconnection from society is a very real issue all over the world. The link between drug abuse and isolation within a society is evident in Estonia, and more specifically Tallinn, commonly referred to as the overdose capital of Europe. Tallinn and surrounding areas have a large

Again, Mildred showcases this dependency on technology throughout the novel, as she is constantly plugged in, whether that be to seashells or the “family”. This is shown as early as page 19 in the novel where Montag and Mildred are having a conversation and Montag acknowledges that “She had both ears plugged with electronic bees that were humming the hour away” (Bradbury). This incessant pounding of pre-approved information into the heads of citizens makes it nearly impossible for them to think for themselves. Most citizens believe in whatever “truth” the “family” or seashells tell them, and without any divergence between people, why wouldn’t they? Of course there are the always outcasts who attempt to distance themselves from the media, but its control effects them as well. This is evident when Montag is on the subway trying to read the Bible while an extremely repetitive commercial promoting “Denham’s Dentifrice” keeps him from focusing; “Shut up, thought Montag. Consider the lilies of the field” (Bradbury 78). This is one example of how the government uses technology to control people, as it obstructs them from breaking away from the “norm.” Not only are people vulnerable to this information being pumped out, but they’ve come to rely on it. This seemingly extreme