Influences On Society In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

Having been influenced by life in the fifties and World War Two, Ray Bradbury expressed his views on them in his book, Fahrenheit 451. The fifties was an era of prosperity after the recent World War, with the birth of rock and roll and the golden age of television. In this prosperity, it brought about the modern television which Bradbury saw the potential danger of. Along with the television, Bradbury was also cautious about the burning of books by the Nazis. All of this was reflected in his book about a fireman named Montag who burns books in the future. He lives in a world so overwhelmed by technology that he is too distracted to see that he is actually unhappy with his life which he realizes after meeting a young girl named Clarisse. In

First, it makes people oblivious to the things around them. When people are too sheltered by the government, they do not become aware of the things around them. In Fahrenheit 451, the citizens of the town are told of war but are too ignorant to do something about it or react. Radios are telling them “war may be declared any hour. This country stands ready to defend its..." and there are“jet planes whistling] a single note across the black morning.” Even though it is clearly stated that a war can happen the citizens do not accept it nor care about it. This in turn is their downfall as a bomb is sent their way because of their ignorance to the war. Censorship also makes the citizens overly optimistic. The censorship is used to make the government seem more powerful than it actually is. This is shown when during a chase for Montag broadcasted in television, the camera follows an unknown person after Montag successfully escapes, hiding the fact that the firemen could not catch Montag. Ms. Phelps convinced of the power of the government states “I'm not worried. I'll let [my husband] do all the worrying. Not me. I'm not worried." She says this because she thinks that the war is not a big deal and believes that her husband will come back soon. This optimism driven by censorship is what brings upon doom to the city in which Montag lives as the war is worse than what they believe. In the end, the city is bombed without the people knowing. Because of their idea that everything will be fine, the city gets bombed due to the fact that they did not do much to stop the war. Lastly, censorship creates an unstable society. Books are thought to be evil in the story as Ms. Bowles proclaims “I’ve always said poetry and tears, poetry and suicide and crying and awful feelings. However Montag finds out about the truth about books after reading a few which incites him to rebel society.