A happy world.
Starting in the 50s, the United States started to undergo a series of social changes. With modern technology and new prosperity coming since the beginning of the second World War, new forms of entertainment started to come along, which included radio, television, magazines, etc… New cars started to come out and be mass produced, big companies started to form, and a different culture began. But under all that shine and glamour, there was fear, tension between countries, and an overall concern with security and purpose. While there were many new ways people could spend their free time, some were concerned that the giant amount of communication and entertainment tools could make people numb to the events surrounding them, and could make them lose their …show more content…
And they just don’t know it, because they confuse happiness with distraction. Mildred clearly thinks she is happy, as she states it on page 62. But is she really? Is a woman who ignores her husband, becomes distracted by the smallest things, almost kills herself by “accidentally” overdosing on medicine at page 11, truly happy? She might be, but Montag is clearly not, he has doubts about that after Clarisse asks him if he is on page 7, and fully accepts it on page 78 when talking to Faber. So the protagonist of the story has come to terms with his unhappiness, but other than maybe Faber, no other ordinary citizen seems to be unhappy. Maybe they are, but they feel confused by it, or just try to outright deny it, in fear of being judged, or in fear of admitting it and then becoming real. “You always dread the unfamiliar”(Bradbury 55), since people may not be familiar with feeling unhappy or empty they try to ignore it, and they distract themselves with the parlor walls, and the many forms of entertainment available from this society, without meaningfully addressing their
Starting in the 50s, the United States started to undergo a series of social changes. With modern technology and new prosperity coming since the beginning of the second World War, new forms of entertainment started to come along, which included radio, television, magazines, etc… New cars started to come out and be mass produced, big companies started to form, and a different culture began. But under all that shine and glamour, there was fear, tension between countries, and an overall concern with security and purpose. While there were many new ways people could spend their free time, some were concerned that the giant amount of communication and entertainment tools could make people numb to the events surrounding them, and could make them lose their …show more content…
And they just don’t know it, because they confuse happiness with distraction. Mildred clearly thinks she is happy, as she states it on page 62. But is she really? Is a woman who ignores her husband, becomes distracted by the smallest things, almost kills herself by “accidentally” overdosing on medicine at page 11, truly happy? She might be, but Montag is clearly not, he has doubts about that after Clarisse asks him if he is on page 7, and fully accepts it on page 78 when talking to Faber. So the protagonist of the story has come to terms with his unhappiness, but other than maybe Faber, no other ordinary citizen seems to be unhappy. Maybe they are, but they feel confused by it, or just try to outright deny it, in fear of being judged, or in fear of admitting it and then becoming real. “You always dread the unfamiliar”(Bradbury 55), since people may not be familiar with feeling unhappy or empty they try to ignore it, and they distract themselves with the parlor walls, and the many forms of entertainment available from this society, without meaningfully addressing their