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Examples Of Dehumanization In Fahrenheit 451

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It’s all about the courage to speak up about society, but everyone is inflicted with fear and follows the way society is run, and eventually, everyone is brainwashed. In Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451, society has been controlled by the influence of technology and government laws restricting the ownership of books or reading them. All day, their society is preoccupied with media on screens, influencing them to follow their decision making ruining the idea of individual thought. The main character Montag comes to his senses and wants to change their society back to how the past used to be. Throughout the book, Ray Bradbury uses the illegal use of books and knowledge to show the dehumanization of humans who don’t have any individual thoughts. …show more content…

To demonstrate in the story, Montag is sick in bed and asks Mildred to turn down the volume on the t.v. But Mildred did nothing to it because the t.v is her family. ’"Will you turn the parlor off?" he asked. "That's my family." "Will you turn it off for a sick man?" "I'll turn it down." She went out of the room and did nothing to the parlor and came back. "Is that better?"’ (Bradbury 46). People in their society just watch t.v. and call it their “family”. They do and say anything their “family” wants them to, therefore not letting people have their own individual thoughts. Furthermore in the story, Montag turns off the T.V screen to try and get Mildred and her friends talking to each other like how it was in Clarisse’s house. “‘Montag reached inside the parlour wall and pulled the main switch. The images drained away, as if the water had been let out from a gigantic crystal bowl of hysterical fish. The three women turned slowly and looked with unconcealed irritation and then dislike at Montag.”’ (Bradbury 90). Mildred and her friends reacted harshly to Montag pulling the switch on the t.v screen because they felt like he killed their family by doing that. This shows that people in society are so caught up in technology, that when you meet up with friends you will just watch t.v with them instead of talking and having fun with each

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As he is eating dinner, Mildred’s friends come over to watch the screens. As Montag is eating dinner he begins to stare into the parlor from the kitchen, he then suddenly “reached inside the parlor wall and pulled the main switch,” (pg94). By pulling he completely shut down the walls. He then asks the women about the war and where their husbands are. Montag continues to try to engage in the women’s conversation

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865 Words | 4 Pages

Mildred, Montag’s wife, constantly has her seashell earbuds in her ears, or is watching the huge wall-sized TVs in the parlor. While Montag is thinking about life before technology took over most people’s subconscious, Mildred is watching the parlor walls. It is shown here, “Montag turned and looked at his wife, who sat in the middle of the parlor talking to an announcer, who in turn was talking to her”(pg. 63). Mildred has allowed the technology around her take control of her emotions, and it has made her believe that she is happy. Not only does she act mindless with how engulfed she is with electronics,

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Then they have an altercation; afterwards Mildred gets out of bed and goes to the bathroom to take some sleeping pills, and Montag tries to count the number of times he hears her swallow and wonders if she will forget later and take more. He feels terribly empty and concludes that the TV walls stand between him and his wife. Montag believes’ this because Mildred is more connected to the TV and can not even remember if she took

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760 Words | 4 Pages

And I want you to teach me to understand what I read”(107). Montag was not happy his whole life, especially about his wife. Mildred never understands him or even pays attention to what Montag is saying. Montag was in

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617 Words | 3 Pages

As a result of excessive use of the parlor walls and apathetic behavior, Montag and Mildred develop no real love for each other. Their bond holds meaningless value to them since Mildred cannot recall

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664 Words | 3 Pages

Mildred on the other hand doesn't care about Montag's interest. We can see that when she doesn't even pretend to read with him she just goes onto one of her TV walls and blocks him out. Mildred also called the people on the TV her family showing that she genuinely cared about them ,but didn't call Montag her family letting us see yet again that Mildred just uses Montag as a bank and doesn't truly care for

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1092 Words | 5 Pages

Her attention is so clearly drawn towards the TV parlor rather than what her husband is trying to explain to her. Another example of this can be seen through another one of Montag’s attempts to have a meaningful conversation with Mildred, as he questions Mildred if she has any memory of how they both met. Mildred responds that she has no idea, while laughing and Montag’s response of, “Funny, how funny, not to remember where or when you met husband or wife….. It doesn't matter” (40), emphasizes the contrast in emotions between the couple. Mildred seems to have no care whatsoever, due to the emotional desensitization that technology had exposed her to, although on the other hand, this deeply hurts Montag.

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Mildred is an average member of society who is oblivious to the absurd reality she lives in. She also doesn’t understand Montag’s growing fascination with books. As Montag begins to realize that he is not content with his life, he admits to his loneliness and thinks, “He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as the true state of affairs.

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Rather than supporting her husband’s wishes and turning the television off, her immediate response is to defend the technology, which she does by referring to it as her “family.” Mildred’s tone when responding to Montag shows that she is not concerned with what he could be experiencing, and instead prioritizes her technology over her husband. Being Mildred’s husband, Montag is a part of her family. However, when Mildred refers to the parlor as her family she is acting as though they are more important than Montag. Following their interaction, that night while Mildred is laying in bed Montag begins to observe her, “Late in the night he looked over at Mildred.

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935 Words | 4 Pages

This choice of using technology to escape society does not allows Mildred to give herself any time to think about what Montag says, thus allowing society to get what it wants-thoughtlessness. Although Montag attempts forming a bond with Mildred over books, the idea fails because Mildred turns on him and does as she is told by the others around her. Montag includes mildred in one of his

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1174 Words | 5 Pages

Montag is talking with Mildred about what he’s experiencing “We need not be left alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long has it been since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?” (Bradbury 52).

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556 Words | 3 Pages

Even though Mildred and Montag have been married for ten years, after she overdoses, Montag confesses that "he was certain he wouldn't cry '' (44) even if she died. Demonstrating the absence of social connection among the civilians, as even Mrs Bowles treated her children with little concern and considered them nuisances (93). Additionally, when Montag asks Mildred how and when they met, Mildred answers that she can't remember and that it doesn't matter since she needs to focus on her parlour (9). Similarly, many citizens relied on technologies such as parlour walls for entertainment and enjoyment rather than bonding with one

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2350 Words | 10 Pages

(STEWE-2): Later, while watching the war in the city, Montag comes to a crucial realization regarding Mildred: “‘Even if she dies, I realized a moment ago, I don’t think I’ll feel sad. It isn’t right. Something must be wrong with me’” (Bradbury 148). Because Montag and Mildred were distant from one another and never truly loved or cared for one another,

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455 Words | 2 Pages

Montag stopped eating, they were like a monstrous crystal chandelier tinkling in a thousand chimes,” (Bradbury 89). Mildred, the wife of the protagonist Montag, had invited her friends Mrs. Bowles and Mrs. Phelps over to watch a show on her television

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1583 Words | 7 Pages

One time Montag walked into the ‘parlor’ and saw unknown people saying words that held no depth or meaning. He asked, “What was it all about? Mildred couldn’t say. Who was mad at whom? Mildred didn’t quite know.

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