Technology In Fahrenheit 451

People have feared the future that technology will bring as we become more isolated on our phones and devices instead of real human interaction. The dystopian future that Ray Bradbury depicts in the book (Fahrenheit 451) is eerily similar to what is occurring today. It consumes peoples daily lives just like in the story where people like Mildred are just like a random person on the street to her husband. the society in the book is forced to live much like robots, where people didn’t care for one another and they cared more about themselves and their own entertainment. Montag, is a ‘fireman’ in the story where his job is to burn books to be able to conform to the society that was created. People who own these books are burned with them if they

refuse. They were assumed as pointless words which can brew up a revolt and can start wars. Throughout the story, Montag discovers the true meaning of the books and what is so wrong with society. The future Bradbury depicts in this novel portrays how technology consumes the minds of everyday civilians. Devices such as the television keep people such as Mildred inside all day, not being productive and not learning. Also, intellectual, curious people are disregarded in society and are basically outsiders because they don’t conform to society like everyone else, such as Clarrise; Finally, Mechanical dogs are created to ‘combat’ those who question actions by the government and are interested in life. They would poison those who are rebellious and want change for the better. The television is one reason why society became so careless.
To begin with, The people in Fahrenheit 451 act almost like zombies.

Every day they would have the same routine with their eyes glued to the television screen and almost no real face to face conversations. They became more interested in the imaginative digital world rather than what was actually occurring. Mildred for example was an example of this, as she didn’t care about anything other than her television. Her own husband was like a random person on the street to her. First, Montag asks Mildred“When did we meet and where?....... I don’t know” (Montag asking Mildred Pg.43) In this scene, Montag is curious to know where he and Mildred, his wife, first met. She replies that she doesn’t remember. This proves how Mildred became so indulged into the digital world that she can’t even remember a moment that would be monumental to another persons life. Instead, Mildred is more intrigued by the fascinations of the people behind the screen. Next, Mildred doesn’t care about life itself anymore and is driven to the point of near s suicide. Montag, after noticing the pills in the bottle all gone, confronts Mildred saying, “You took all the pills in your bottle last night” (Pg.19). This signifies Mildreds underlying unhappiness. Watching television most likely made her depressed, and unhappy with life because she no longer cared for anything other than material items. People like Mildred were an example for a citizen consumed by the media, and materialistic items of life, where they

no longer cared for others. Other, curious and more intellectual people like Clarrise were often disregarded and punished for not conforming to the society created.
Next, people who did not conform to the society created for them were ignored and resented by people for being different, and not enjoying technology. Clarrise was an example of unconformity, when she was supposedly killed. Mildred tells Montag that “I haven’t seen her for a few days. I think she’s gone” (Mildred, Page. 47). Clarrise’s abrupt disappearance was only brought up by Montag, and the fact that nobody payed attention, or cared about the fact proves that the society created in this book is all the same, and everybody only cares about themselves and consumed by technology. People like Clarisse would be rejected for questioning society and their conduct. Also, another reason that people were forced to conform is where Clarrise stated how her uncle was arrested. She told Montag that her “Uncle drove slowly on a highway once, He drove 40 miles an hour and the jailed him” (Pg. 9). Clarrise’s uncle got arrested for driving at a slower speed than others which proved that In this society where people would drive at whatever speed they pleased to go, people had control to do whatever they pleased and did not care about others because they were too indulged in their gadgets.
The civilization was extremely against diversity and being unique, to the point where they created mechanical dogs to combat and incarcerate those who would not comply with the rules and lived like others by watching telivision all day.

Mechanical dogs were high tech machines that would find and harm whoever was ordered to do so. For example, when Montag was speaking out against the society, the mechanical dog attempted to kill Montag, by making a “Single last leap into the air coming down at Montag from a good three feet over his head” (Montag Pg. 120). Montag was a person who was revolting against the corrupt society, but upon doing so, he was involved in a conflict with his boss, and was attacked by the mechanical dog, which shows the extent to which the society wants to keep everything the same. Also, the media would glamorize the technology and portray to the public how going against their idea of the city would result in severe consequences. While listening to the radio, Montag heard that the new dogs have a “Nose so sensitive, they can remember and identify 10,000 odor indexes” (Pg.133). The media makes the Mechanical hounds seem nearly indestructible, which limits change in the society by creating fear in keep people from becoming unruly and rebellious against the government.Civilians no longer care about what is truly occurring outside, but instead only wants to be entertained, as evidenced by the media using Montag as a way to indulge people in this

technology.
These are the ways that Bradbury portrayed how technology consumes the minds of people, and takes them out of reality. Montag’s wife, Mildred was an example of a civilian consumed by media and technology to the point where they are taken out of reality and no longer caring about the well being of others. Technology also consumes peoples lives so much that people who are different, and more curious about the actions of people and society, are rejected. Clarrisse was a person who questioned society, but she was disregarded by other people, and when she went missing, nobody seemed to care because they were so consumed by technology. Finally, Mechanical dogs were created to combat and incarcerate those who did question these actions, so society could stay as it is, where people were devoured by technology. The civilization portrayed where people were living to the point where they no longer communicate with each other face to face is becoming eerily similar to what is occuring in todays world. Bradbury is showing how interacting with each other is more important than a telivision screen, and that eventually it would seem more important to people than true interaction.