Happiness In Fahrenheit 451

Distraction and Pleasure vs. True Happiness and Self-Actualization
Throughout his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury shows that the over-indulgence in technology and superficial entertainment cause people to be generally unhappy. By prioritizing extravagant activities all the time, there are alarming consequences for individuals and society as a whole. Through the examination of Fahrenheit 451’s characters and society, it is apparent that this theme is a caution to our current societies, in which pleasure and instant gratification are often prioritized over personal growth and fulfillment. In his novel, Bradbury warns that when distraction and pleasure are used to replace true happiness and self-actualization, human societies are

People usually distract themselves from their lives when they are feeling upset or anxious about something. This is okay for the time being. However, if someone then relies on these distractions to get by, that is when an issue is formed. Emotional repression is when someone avoids emotional suffering at all costs. In the long run, this becomes a big problem. Although it may not be pleasant, part of being human is experiencing the ups and downs of life, as getting yourself through the bad parts always means that there is light waiting at the end of the tunnel. The main character of the novel, Montag, displays this issue to his wife Mildred towards the middle of the novel when it states, “We need not be let 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 48). When Montag asks Mildred if she can recall when the last time she felt something real, she did not understand his question. Since their entire society is so fabricated upon superficial importance, no one can understand what things have the true significance of value. As

Clarisse states this towards the beginning of the novel, where she says, “I sometimes think drivers don't know what grass is, or flowers, because they never see them slowly” (Bradbury 7). Clarisse suggests that people who chose to live their lives this way are missing out on the opportunity to truly live, to experience life fully, and to leave an impact on the society around them. Another example in which it can be seen how people are losing touch with reality is through the seashell radios and parlor walls. As Montag states to Faber, an older man who does not agree with the way their society is set up, in part two of the novel, “Nobody listens anymore. I can't talk to the walls because they're yelling at me. I can't talk to my wife; she listens to the walls. I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it'll make sense” (Bradbury 75). This scene exemplifies how the distraction of technology has replaced the significance of genuine human connections. These things keep the people within Montag’s society entertained and distracted from any real problem in their lives, such as the looming threat of the nearby war. In this way, technology creates a hypothetical bubble around them, which isolates them from the rest of the world and impedes