Technology in Fahrenheit 451 Essay

Although Fahrenheit 451 was written nearly sixty years ago, it serves as a warning to present day people about the danger of a technological take over. The author of this novel used a science fiction novel to portray his opinion of how the world would be if people constantly worship advancing technology and increasing knowledge. Science fiction stories tell about the future by blending scientific data and theory with the authors creative imagination. In Fahrenheit 451, the author, Ray Bradbury, reversed the roles of present day heroes and community leaders. He also altered the purpose and reason of the life in future America if things dont human continue to let technology overpower them.

In Fahrenheit 451, reading books is against the law. Owning a book is even illegal, including the bible. The protagonist is Guy Montag. His occupation is a fireman, but he isnt you every day fireman that we know of today. Firemen in Fahrenheit 451 burn books and start fires rather than extinguish them. If a sight of books were reported, an alarm would be sounded, instructing firemen to the respective place to ignite the books and/or house and the owner is arrested. The purpose of no books being allowed in that society is to limit ones mind for processing thought and the expansion of knowledge of a person. Ray Bradburys prospective for future America is one of fast cars, grand advertisements, and loud music. This environment creates a distraction and occupies peoples lives so much that there is no longer room for self reflection, literature, or appreciation for nature and other natural occurrences. The characters in the book drive extremely fast and rush through life. They dont have time to really enjoy life for what it really is. In this novel, characters watch excessive amounts of television. They watch so much television to the point that they begin to ignore their spouses. Some even think that the people they watch on their wall-sized television screens are their families. Little emotions are felt by the characters, because they havent been exposed to other feelings.