Targets In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Targets in Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury created countless works of fiction in his lifetime, each one displaying its own uniqueness and peculiarity. However, under the surface of every piece are silent criticisms, slyly placed and convincingly disguised as to attack an entity with purpose. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury situates several of these targets, all of which can be connected to the disordered political and social situation of his time. Guy Montag, the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451, lives in a censored world where interaction is discouraged and conformity is a necessity. Fire is the consequence for individualism, and Montag, a fireman, is constantly put into situations where he is the one executing the burn. New neighbors, his wife’s pitiful situation, and the discovery of the written word soon convince Montag that there is more to life that brainless television and conformism. Consequently, Montag clashes with the head of the firemen about his ideals. He soon finds himself running from his strict society and joining an outcast

Parallel to fast-paced America in the 1920s, the world of Guy Montag is based off instant gratification and the means for achieving pleasure. Thinking for oneself is prohibited because a human might become spontaneous; therefore, books are prohibited for encouraging free thought. Without books, people in the novel turn to television and sports programs for their entertainment. Additionally, Bradbury exemplifies the danger of excess technology with the predatory Mechanical Hound, a creature which searches in order to destroy in the novel (Bradbury, Ray). The world of Fahrenheit 451, which on the outside seems so different to ours, is actually very similar. Bradbury is quick to point out this pitiful irony, which suggests that pleasure is becoming more important than knowledge. This revelation, Bradbury seems to suggest, will be humanity’s downfall