Joseph Brodsky once said, “There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” In one interview, Ray Bradbury echoed these words in regard to his science fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451, which tackles the idea of a society both burning and not reading books. Although Fahrenheit 451 classifies as fiction, the novel highlights several problems that now appear in reality. Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 exhibits how technology possesses the capability of affecting people negatively through the characters’ actions and the story’s made-up creations.
Bradbury’s characters show how immersing oneself in technology causes a deficit in proper emotional response. Mrs. Phelps serves as an excellent example. Mrs. Phelps is a “normal” member in her society, presenting indifference concerning serious topics like war and such. However, when Montag reads the poem “Dover Beach” to Mildred and a few of Mildred’s friends, one reads that “Mrs. Phelps was crying” (100). Mrs. Phelps experiences a strong current of emotions as a result of the poem, but when Mildred asks …show more content…
It does so with the help of the inventions in it and the characters that use them. Many of the items in Bradbury’s story came to life, like Mildred’s Seashell radio, the same as today’s earbuds, or the parlor walls, similar to flat screen TVs, and these things prove useful in efficient communication and gathering data. However, if modern society allows these gadgets to envelop and take over lives, then the world can turn into the Fahrenheit 451 universe. Modern society will lack compassion like Mildred, forget the overwhelming importance of books like Beatty, and dismiss natural emotions as something unnatural. True, technology is helpful, but it is also a double-edged sword. If used improperly, technology will lead to more than a few unpleasant consequences, and the real world might just need to yield a real-life
Bradbury’s characters show how immersing oneself in technology causes a deficit in proper emotional response. Mrs. Phelps serves as an excellent example. Mrs. Phelps is a “normal” member in her society, presenting indifference concerning serious topics like war and such. However, when Montag reads the poem “Dover Beach” to Mildred and a few of Mildred’s friends, one reads that “Mrs. Phelps was crying” (100). Mrs. Phelps experiences a strong current of emotions as a result of the poem, but when Mildred asks …show more content…
It does so with the help of the inventions in it and the characters that use them. Many of the items in Bradbury’s story came to life, like Mildred’s Seashell radio, the same as today’s earbuds, or the parlor walls, similar to flat screen TVs, and these things prove useful in efficient communication and gathering data. However, if modern society allows these gadgets to envelop and take over lives, then the world can turn into the Fahrenheit 451 universe. Modern society will lack compassion like Mildred, forget the overwhelming importance of books like Beatty, and dismiss natural emotions as something unnatural. True, technology is helpful, but it is also a double-edged sword. If used improperly, technology will lead to more than a few unpleasant consequences, and the real world might just need to yield a real-life