Humans have astronomically adapted in technology for the last century, however, these technological adaptations may bring more harm the help. Bradbury warns of the consequences that the development of technology will bring such as less social interaction due to mass media, and rise in violence in society.
If humans continue to innovate while becoming more dependent on technology, the products created will lead to the destruction of humanity. “The mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the firehouse.” (Bradbury 21) The mechanical hound symbolizes the dehumanization of technology. Through the use of human characteristics to describe the hound is in direct contrast to the inhuman actions and behaviors of the hound itself. The technology developed that is meant to benefit humans opposes them. The hound acts as a watchful eye for the corrupt government to make sure the citizens conform to the rules they have implemented. This technology is used to commit violent acts to keep society in check as demonstrated at the end of the novella when “Montag” dies. The totalitarian government used the hound to kill an innocent man for entertainment and to cover up the fact that Montag escaped their custody. Aside from weaponry entertainment development can also hinder the human race. “The door to the parlor opened and Mildred stood there looking in at them… Behind her, the walls of the room were flooded with green and yellow and orange fireworks sizzling and bursting to some music…”( Bradbury …) Mildred’s addiction to the parlor is apparent throughout the novella. The parlor walls fill the void of society and when turned off the darkness left behind becomes apparent. Fahrenheit 451 warns that as the development of technology advances, there is always a risk of technology hindering the human race. The invention and development of the television in the 1950s was an amazing innovation but not without consequences. People valued time watching the television more than they valued time with others in their lives. The same trend of technological advancements similar to the hound today. These advancements manifest themselves in the form of artificial intelligence. AI developments in autonomous weaponry, social manipulation, and invasion of privacy are all risks faced today that have similar parallels to the hound depicted in Fahrenheit 451.
The decreasing amount of socializing shown in Fahrenheit 451 demonstrates how the increase and abuse of technology will lead to less social interactions and a detachment from reality. “Well, wasn’t there a wall between him and Mildred… Literally not just one wall, but so far, three!… No matter when he came in, the walls were always talking to Mildred” (Bradbury 44). This quote shows that Mildred isolates herself from Montag to interact with her “family” The three walls described shows that Mildred is nearly completely boxed in from reality and the outside world. Without human interaction emotions and affections become non-existent turning into an emotionless society Bradbury warned of. In the 1950s people did not go as far as to say that TV’s were their families but they were a part of their families. The introduction of televisions made it much easier to avoid communication, particularly when there is a problem within the family. Televisions and mass media is a way for people to forget their problems and detach themselves from society. “And suddenly she was so strange he couldn’t believe he knew her at all. He was in someone else’s house…”(Bradbury, 39) In this quote, Montag comes home and realizes that there is something missing from his life and the fact that he barely knows Mildred. Mildred is so involved with the parlors and detached from reality that they became strangers. The married couple barely knows each other due to isolation. Mass media can lead to the separation of individuals physically and mentally promoting less and less social interaction. Bradbury warned people of the 1950s of the decrease of social interactions but now more than ever people should heed this warning. Nowadays it is getting more and more common to see people looking down at a screen whenever and wherever they are. People are all guilty of falling victim to the everlasting grip technology has on our daily lives.
The inordinately violent society of Fahrenheit 451 warns of a dangerous and problematic status quo. “Patience, Montag. Let the war turn off the ‘families.’ Our civilization is flinging itself to pieces. Stand back from the centrifuge…There has to be someone ready when it blows up” (Bradbury, 87). In this quote, Faber refers to the crippling society as a centrifuge, where the two opposing forces, the government, and freethinkers, vaporize each other to oblivion. War and violence serve as a constant reminder of the unstable society Fahrenheit 451 depicts. During the Cold war when the novella was written the same instability in society is present. In a society fueled by violence and war, death is a normal occurrence. The warning for readers about growing violence and rage in society during the Cold War depicts the nuclear arms race between the worlds’ two superpowers. The final scenes of the novella when the city is vaporized by a bomb is what Bradbury feared would happen to society at the time. “It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed… and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.”(Bradbury, 1) The act of burning and destroying is described poetically, glorifying the violence associated with it. Violence is sanctioned within the status quo of society. Montag’s pure enjoyment of his violent acts is a diluted representation of the state that society has come to. Burning symbolizes the totalitarian governments grip on its citizens. The powerful first few lines show the reader that the government is more powerful than the citizens. The amount of fear, power, and respect Montag gets for being a fireman would be intoxicating for any individual. Years prior to the publication of the novella World War II shook the foundations of society. Those in Nazi uniforms were both feared and respected like Montag and other firemen. They committed inhuman acts not because they were immortal beings but because the amount of power they withheld was pleasurable and corrupted their souls. The novella references the infamous World War II and the Cold War to warn readers at the time of an inevitable violent society mindset in the future. In the present day, the same political tensions could bring societies to the brink of war and chaos. The same warning distilled in readers years ago about a rise in violence in society should not be ignored even to this day,
Throughout the novella, Fahrenheit 451, the author warns readers of the consequences of the spread of technology, less social interactions due to mass media, and a rise in violence in society.
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