Moronic Humanity In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Moronic Humanity Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was written in 1953, long before television and technology reigned supreme, and in it Bradbury foreshadowed some issues that could arise as technology continually evolved. The novel is set in the 23rd century, where technology and television come before everything, and focuses on a young man named Guy Montag. In the 23rd century firemen are no longer the heroes that extinguish fires, they instead are the ones that start them. Books are illegal and they are to be burned if any are found. If someone is found to have books in their home, the firemen must come and burn down the house. Montag becomes interested in books and begins to reevaluate his happiness when he meets his new neighbor, Clarisse

He reveals this fear of his throughout the novel, such as the passage in which Clarisse McClellan is explaining some differences between her and her peers to Guy Montag. Clarisse explains for fun if her peers aren’t watching the ‘parlor walls’ they are smashing windows, picking on people, and wrecking cars or racing them at dangerous speeds. Activities that Clarisse likes such as walking, looking at the moon or people watching are considered strange. Asking questions and carrying on a conversation as Clarisse and her family loved to do is also viewed as abnormal (Bradbury 13). The activities people participated in for sport in Fahrenheit 451 are things that require no thinking nor does it require people to interact with one another. Although people do not necessarily engage in those types of actives as described in Fahrenheit 451 in the present day, the rise of “smartphones” and “tablets” are doing the same thing. They allow anyone to access information from anywhere, and when you have an unlimited source of information at your fingertips, why would you

In Fahrenheit 451 during the hunt for Montag after he burns the fire captain and a couple of his fellow firemen alive, the reporters lose track of him during the chase. Instead of the media reporting the truth, that they had lost track of Montag, the news intentionally focuses its attention on an innocent bystander. In attempts to avoid being seen as a failure or incompetent in their efforts, they take the life of human just to save face (Bradbury 63). Bradbury shows another example of moronic thinking within the conversation Mildred and Guy have with two of Mildred’s friends, Mrs. Bowles and Mrs. Phelps about the election that has just occurred. All of the women agreed that because of his looks, and the way he dressed that President Noble was the clear cut choice over the other candidate, Hubert Hoag. The women knew nothing of the candidate’s platforms or policies, only that he combed his hair better and dressed nicer than his opponent (Bradbury