Ben Seale
Mrs. Stephenson
English 9 Pre-AP
16 November 2007
Technology Destroying Emotions
Wouldn’t a world with no need for books and unlimited technology be
remarkable? Or would people become dependent on technology and stop thinking and
feeling for themselves. Ray Bradbury believes that technology could control our
feelings. Reliance on technology, in the novel Fahrenheit 451, replaces human
connection; therefore, destroying relationships and the capacity to feel for others.
The protagonist in Bradbury’s novel is Guy Montag. Montag’s occupation is a
fireman, and in this society, firemen earn their living not by extinguishing fires but by
“blazing and burning” books (Page 3). When Montag encounters Clarisse McCellan, he
begins to notice that technology obsessed people in his society lack emotions and act
selfishly. Clarisse does not possess the same selfish attributes as the other people in her
culture because she “rarely watch[es] the parlor walls” (Page 9). Montag confronts
another woman who is unusual when he goes to burn her books. She refuses to let
Montag and his coworker incinerate her books - “you can’t ever have my books”- and
sets herself on fire (Page 38). Montag, wondering what possessed her to commit such a
horrendous act, steals a book to obtain the meaning. Montag goes home and reveals his
hidden smorgasbord of books “small ones, fairly large ones, yellow, red, green ones” to
his wife, Mildred (Page 65). When Mildred reacts with an angry display against the
books by running “forward, seiz[ing] a book, and [running] toward the kitchen
incinerator,” she exhibits her connection to society’s brainwashed perspective that
knowledge destroys the utopia that technology has produced (page 66). After Mildred’s
reaction, Montag embarks on a tedious quest through a possessed subway in which a
subliminal message is repeated over and over: “Denham’s Dentifrice Dandy Dental
Detergent Denham’s Dentifrice” (page 79). The words bombard Montag as he journeys
to seek the forbidden wisdom of Faber. During an intimate tête-à-tête, Faber and Montag
develop a revolutionary scheme to deposit books in firemen’s residences. The
unobtainable plan never achieves fruition due to the accusations of Mildred and two of
her friends. Montag flees the wrath of the high tech monstrous assassinating hound and
plunges into a river and is “swept away in the dark” (Page 139). When he surfaces, he
discovers a throng of non-conformists who memorize volumes to retain the omniscient
books. Shortly after his advent from the cleansing river, Montag and his new
companions witness, from their oasis, the horrific destruction of the technology driven
metropolis. Following the demolition, the well read congregation sets out to plant a seed
of knowledge in the minds of the people who once exercised fanatical technology.
Numerous characters in the book depend on technology, act in selfish ways, and
exhibit weak relationships with others. Mildred is always watching her giant TV, and she
has a very poor relationship with Montag. Mildred does not even care about the first time
she met Montag saying, “It doesn’t matter” (Page 43). Mildred also has no sympathy for
the woman who would rather burn with her books then live without them, “She’s nothing
to me; she shouldn’t have had books… I hate her” (Page 51). When Montag expresses
his grief for the women, Mildred advises him to go for a drive because “it’s fun … you
hit rabbits” and “sometimes you hit dogs” (page 64). Mildred clearly does not care about
anyone but herself.
Mildred’s TV obsessed companions portray the same devilish like characteristics
as herself. Mrs. Phelps’s husband departs for the war, and she claims that if he dies she
would have “no tears” because this is her “third marriage” (page 95). Mrs. Phelps also
believes “no one in his right mind …would have kids” ( page 96). Mrs. Bowles,
Mildred’s other friend, “had two children by Caesarian section” because “the world must
reproduce” (page 96). But she does not care for them. They are in “school nine days out
of ten” and when they are home, she “heaves them into the ‘parlor’ and turns the switch”
(page 96). Montag tries to get Mrs. Bowles to realize her mistakes, such as, her “dozen
abortions” and her four husbands, one who died by “blowing his brains out” (page 101).
Montag also comments on her weak relationships with her children when he states,“your
children …hate your guts,” but Mrs. Bowles is so absorbed by TV she cannot
comprehend her mistakes (page 101). Mrs. Bowles and Mrs. Phelps clearly have no
emotional attachment to other living beings due to their dependence on technology.
The government has also lost all empathy for individuals. When Montag “threw
them off at the river” they found a “scapegoat” to kill to make the community believe
they won (page 148). The government kills an “innocent man” just because “it saves
face” (Page 148-149). A government that kills just to look superior is corrupt and
controlled by technology.
Characters that are not tainted by technology have emotions and can think
logically. Clarisse has much more knowledge then Montag before he starts to read.
Clarisse knows that a long time ago “they needed firemen to stop the flames,” she also
knows “there’s dew on the grass in the morning,” and that it looks like “there’s a man on
the moon” (page 8-9). Montag does not know any of these things until he meets Clarisse
and begins to read. Clarisse is also close to her family. She spends nights with her
“mother and father and uncle sitting around, talking” (page 9). Clarisse’s knowledge and
emotions make her “sound so very old” (page 30).
Faber is another character that is not stained by technology’s laziness. He does
not have a family but becomes close to Montag in the short time they know each other.
Faber and Montag share “small green metal” earpieces that let them hear everything the
other one does (page 90). That kind of closeness shows that they truly care for one
another. Faber’s act of giving up his privacy demonstrates he has the capacity to feel,
unlike the robot-like people who are blemished by technology.
Granger and his men, who Montag meets at the end, give up living with
technology and are very family-like. When Montag arrives, he is greeted with “have
some coffee” a generous offer of a beverage (page 147). The men “were clean, neat, and
their hands were clean” even though they live without technology (page147). They
kindly give the offer to Montag to see if he “wants to join” them (page 150). Living
without technology, brings this group of men as close as a family and gives them an
emotional connection to one another.
People with technology driven lives forget what it is like to be human and end up
becoming machine-like. If there are no books to help people understand the world and
develop emotional depth, then people will slowly drift towards becoming impassive and
uncaring. Bradbury thinks that even though technology makes things easier, it also
destroys our sensitivity and feelings for one another.