Importance Of Technology In Fahrenheit 451

Since the 1950’s technology plays an ever growing part of everyday life. Ray Bradbury recognizes the escapism technology offered from the hardships of the cold war, offering a feeling of comfort in a time of fear. Through Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury warns the people their increased dependency on technology initiates a decrease in the quality of our surrounding relationships. Bradbury creates a technology-centered society characterized by alienation of different relationships. The dynamics of teen relationships illustrate the demand for conformity. Clarisse’s fear of her peer’s violence leads her to be outcasted. Charismatic and intellectual, Clarisse prefers nature to school. When Montag questions her truancy, she nonchalantly responds: “Oh they

Her unremarkable presence deems her as antisocial. Clarisse illustrates the struggle to Montag: “I’m antisocial, they say. I don’t mix. It's so strange. I’m very social indeed. It all depends on what you mean by social, doesn’t it? Social to me means talking about things like this… or talking about how strange the world is. Being with people is nice. But I don’t think it's social to get a bunch of people together and then not let them talk, do you?” (Bradbury 29) Ostracized for deviating from societal expectations, Clarisse remains stagnant. For her peers society expects the youth to endure a technology based education, full of media, be told info without a second thought, then wreck havoc and release all their

At the beginning of the book, Montag returns home from work to find an overdosed Mildred. The next morning he confronts her: “You took all the pills in your bottle last night.” (Bradbury 19) She attempts to argue feigning innocence, distancing herself from a concerned Montag. When Montag confesses to his hidden books collection, Mildred chooses her “family” rather than help Montag and read a book. Maddened by Montag, Mildred defends herself: “Books aren’t people. You read and I look all around, but there isn’t anybody!...My ‘family’ is people. They tell me things: I laugh, they laugh! And the colors!” (Bradbury 73) Disconnected from reality, Mildred picks the comfort of TV as a distraction over the discomfort of the truth and her unhappy husband, leading her to turn Montag in for the material goods she can not keep. Realizing the betrayal, Montag questions: “‘Was it my wife who turned in the alarm?’ Beatty nodded.” (Bradbury 117) Mildred created a parasocial relationship with her TV “family” and values her false relationships over Montag’s; she traded reality for a fantasy. She wanted the comfort of her desire for a happy life, rather than edifying herself. The division of the uneducated and the educated is a pattern throughout the