Time Vs. Themes In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Ronaldo Mendoza
Mr. Weber
Honor 10B
17 February 2023
Today’s Time vs Themes in Fahrenheit 451 It can be said that in the ever advancing world, people are relying more and more on technology. This is especially true with the younger generations, as with endless masses of media designed to keep them stimulated and easily accessible with a swipe of their finger, it is becoming something they cannot live without. In fact, some people even rely on the media to be their sole source of news and will believe and go along with whatever they say. These modern times are extraordinarily similar to the novel Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury in 1953. The book, which takes place around the year 2022, is set in a dystopian-like society where people

In fact, the main protagonist, Guy Montag, works as a fireman, whose job is to burn any books found. They have been told that the reason they burn books is because books cause people to feel bad and cause conflict. They claim that firemen have been burning books since the United States of America was founded, as they state that Ben Franklin was the first fireman (Bradbury 31). This shows how people just do as they are told, without question. They do not know why exactly books turn people bad and cause conflict, but because that is what they have been told and it is what everyone else believes, they too believe it. This is also true in the modern world, where people will conform to fit into society. This is especially seen in online media, where people will follow an idea simply because it is popular. A great example of this are clothing trends. People will willingly spend hundreds of dollars on name-brand clothing, simply because someone influential told them to buy it. They do not know why the clothing is so superior to others, but they still buy it and some seek the pleasure of owning such high-status clothing. This is something that is also represented in Fahrenheit 451, where the firemen enjoy burning the books, despite having no reason to enjoy doing so. They state, “It was a pleasure to burn … Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame” (Bradbury 1-2).

In the book when Montag is on the run from the police, they turn the entire police chase into a show, designed to keep the viewers watching. It was even turned into an immersive experience by having the audience help look out for Montag. And when Montag is able to escape, in order to give their audience a satisfying conclusion, they kill an innocent man as a scapegoat in place of Montag (Bradbury 121-132). This act of televising is a common occurrence is Fahrenheit 451, as they simply move on afterwards, and it is not all that rarer in the real world. The most famous example of this was the Johnny Depp Amber Heard court case in 2022. Despite it being a very serious case of domestic abuse, it was recorded and put up on the internet. People were treating it like a courtroom drama and even started to make mashups and complications as if it were a television show. This treatment of serious issues in the media is very common, and can take away the seriousness from these