Examples Of Technology In Fahrenheit 451

Imagine living in a world with absolutely no books and lots of technology. This stretch of the imagination is a reality to the people in the book Fahrenheit 451. The people who live in this type of society have no access to books because they are banned. Instead of firefighters actually fighting fire, they cause them. However, one of the firefighters (Montag) meets a young girl who changes his perspective on life. There are several messages portrayed throughout the book: technology does more harm than good, controlling of ideas is crucial, and humans will naturally seek answers when questioned.
Throughout the entire story, it is obvious that technology does more harm than good. This message is stated clearly through a few different characters.

This message is obviously shown through the entire story. Early on in the book, Montag meets a young girl that changes his outlook on life. At first he thinks she is very annoying and wonders where she came from. Clarisse is not like anyone else in the society. She often asks ‘why’ and always wants to talk. People normally don’t have time to talk because they are so busy doing other activities to keep their mind busy. However, once Clarisse and Montag start to chat, Montag soon finds himself questioning his beliefs as well: “He suddenly couldn’t remember if he had known this or not, and it made him quite irritable”(Bradbury 7). Clarisse and Montag are discussing how there is dew on the grass in the mornings. Montag is always in a rush that he is not able to recall whether he remembers this or not. Clarisse is forcing him to think about the little details that go unnoticed in their society. Usually, people like Clarisse would be looked at as dangerous and people would not want to talk with them. Montag is different than the other fireman, because he finds Clarisse interesting and he enjoys talking to her. Clarisse asks Montag several questions that he doesn’t know the answer to. The questions that Clarisse asks puzzles Montag and forces him to think: “And then, very slowly, as he walked, he tilted his head back in the rain, for just a few moments, and opened his mouth…”(Bradbury 21). This particular quote is interesting because earlier in the book, Clarisse tips her head back to “taste the rain”. Montag thinks she is insane, however after so many questions he is left to find out the answers himself. He walks slowly in order to think diligently and try and seek answers. This continues thru the entire book, as Montag searches for answers that he cannot find. Although most people believe that questioning leads to action, some people believe that questioning is dangerous. In this case, questioning is dangerous