Examples Of Materialism In Fahrenheit 451

As Henri Frederic Amiel once said, “Materialism coarsens and petrifies everything, making everything vulgar, and every truth false (“Henri”).” Throughout this book, the only priority for people is to have a bunch of items. Even though they have a lot of items, they lose all their morals. However, the people who don’t value objects obtain much more. One of the main messages in the book, Fahrenheit 451 is that people of society are very materialistic which causes them to lose all sentiment.

Many people in the society are materialistic and too wrapped up in all of their stuff. They use materials, and want more and more in order to have the items replace something less physical and more valuable. They have even sugar coated the perception

Christ is one of the ‘family’ now. I often wonder if God recognizes His own son the way we’ve dressed him up, or is it dressed him down? He’s a regular peppermint stick now, all sugar-crystal and saccharine when he isn’t making veiled references to certain commercial products that every worshipper absolutely needs’” (Bradbury 77-78). Faber discusses with Montag about what has happened with the religion in this society. Jesus has become nothing except another way to get people to buy more items. Mildred, likes to drive fast and move fast, “‘I always like to drive fast when I feel that way. You get it up around ninety-five and you feel wonderful” (Bradbury 61). Mildred hides her feeling by driving super fast, using the car as a way to make her feel happier. She rarely slows down to give herself time to think. Everyone is a consumer, they buy more hoping that they will feel happier. Mildred wants another parlor wall because, “‘It'll be even more fun when we can afford to have the fourth wall installed. How long you figure before we save up and get the fourth wall torn out and a fourth wall-TV put in? It's only two thousand dollars.’ ‘That’s one-third of my yearly pay’” (Bradbury 18). Millie thinks

They take time to think and they notice the society around them. Clarisse thinks and gives herself leisure, “I rarely go watch the ‘parlour walls’ or go to races or Fun Parks. So I've lots of time for crazy thoughts, I guess” (Bradbury 7). Clarisse takes her time to ponder about things and look at the world around her. She doesn’t enjoy watching violence and others suffering, she doesn’t enjoy sitting at home all day staring back at the parlour walls. Clarisse is not materialistic and also not self centered, “‘But Clarisse's favorite subject wasn't herself’” (Bradbury 68). This quote shows how the people who aren’t connected to technology are not egotistical. They are not constantly thinking about themselves, but more so, they are thinking about the world and others around them. They have emotions and they actually live their life, rather than sitting in front of a tv all day. Clarisse’s family sits at home together and talk and laugh with each other, “Above all, their laughter was relaxed and hearty and not forced in any way, coming from the house that was so brightly lit this late at night while all the other houses were kept to themselves in darkness” (Bradbury 14). Clarisse’s family was truly happy since they aren’t so attached to the technology. They stay up late to talk to each other, while other households watch their tv’s during the day and sleep during the