And Morality In Ray Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451'

In 1953 American author, Ray Bradbury, published the novel Fahrenheit 451. Toying with his own technological fantasies, the idea of a negative future, and a sea of outlandish characters, he sees ahead of his time. Bradbury writes about a technologically driven, dystopian society however, reflecting back on the novel, the relevance and similarities between Bradbury’s world and ours, become very plain to see. With that, the warnings and morals imbedded in the text are some that should be examined and noted. A large theme within Bradbury’s writing is, people are dispensable. Mildred Montag, the protagonist’s wife, is a morbidly depressed woman who is one of the many victims at the heart of this truth. With not much of a connection to her husband, she turns to technology to help numb her. She is constantly listening to her “seashells,” our equivalent of earbuds, blocking out who and what is happening around her or engaging with the television instead of spending time with real people. When her and her friends meet, they sit in her parlor, in front of the technology, and socialize that way, which highlights another important theme. The characters of Fahrenheit 451 are unable to make a real connection with other people. Because people are dispensable and there is so much technology to keep them company, they don’t strive for meaningful relationships with one another. Connection is not key and connection is not valued. In the example of Mildred’s friends, they all are on