How Does Fahrenheit 451 Impact Society

It has been said that paper combusts at 451 degrees Fahrenheit. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, books and houses that contain books are burned. Fahrenheit 451 is a futuristic novel about a society that prohibits books and learning. In this particular society, Guy Montag is a firefighter; however, his job is to start fires, rather than terminate them. When Guy meets Clarisse McClellan, a young girl from his neighborhood, he starts to question his motives and perception of their community. Ray Bradbury displays insight to what society will look like in the future with culture, characters, and themes throughout the book.
The culture in Fahrenheit 451 negatively impacts society. Technology greatly influences the characters. Television

She was described as holy-like with a face as brght as snow. She smelled like fresh apricots and strawberries. Clarisse McClellan is very different from the other people in her community. Clarisse is does not attend school because she is viewed as anti-social. In this case, anti-social refers to actions that deviate from the norm. Clarisse has to see a psychiatrist because she is so anti-social in their society: “The psychiatrist wants to know why I go out and hike around in the forests and watch the birds and collect butterflies” (Bradbury 20). Spending time in the outdoors is a rare activity for the characters in Fahrenheit 451. Clarisse is not like other children because she enjoys activities they do not. For example, Clarisse talks with her family members at night, walks in the rain, watches people, and knits. Most people would rather watch television than explore nature. Mildred Montag is the polar opposite of Clarisse. Mildred has eyes like a kind of cataract and looks like a praying mantis. She is thin from dieting and her hair is burnt from chemicals. Mildred enjoys reading the script from her television show and using her electronic ear buds, rather than exploring nature. She is lazy and sleeps most of the day with help from sleeping pills. Her tiredness and lack of energy contribute to her short replies and forgetfulness: “Funny, how funny, not to remember where

One theme in particular is happiness. Bradbury’s message in the story is that life will be unhappy in a society like Fahrenheit 451. It is important to prevent the world from becoming like it. Although Fahrenheit 451 has advanced technology, it is obvious that it is causing harm to the citizens, thus turning into a dystopian society. For example, Montag realizes that he is not happy. No one in his community seems happy either. Many people overdose on sleeping pills, relationships are virtually non-existent, and people think they need material goods to have value. Clarisse questions whether or not Montag is truly happy, and he spends a long time thinking about her question: “Happy! Of all the nonsense. Of course I’m happy. What does she think? I’m not?” (Bradbury 8). When Montag reevaluates his life after Clarisse’s comment, he realizes he is unhappy. He starts to notice how wrong and unhappy the rest of his community is, too. Montag tries to find happiness by exposing books. He also finds happiness with Granger and the other intellectual men that no longer reside in the city. Another theme in Fahrenheit 451 is censorship and political correctness. Bradbury shows what a society with extreme political correctness is like, especially through Beatty’s