Fahrenheit 451 Impact Of Technology

Words: 1540
Pages: 7

Technology is always advancing and changing, from simple machines, to supercomputers. Now, we have smart phones that do as much as huge computers but can fit in the palm of our hand. We have TVs that can respond to our voices, and cars that can stop by themselves. It all sounds great, a perfect way to make our lives easier. But has advanced technology that does things for us actually had a negative impact on people in our society? Having advanced technology to make our lives easier and more entertaining sounds like a good idea, but people tend to become dependent on it. In fact, they become completely focused on technology and become apathetic about other aspects of their lives. In the novel Fahrenheit 451, author Ray Bradbury shows that when …show more content…
When people stop showing concern for the world around them, people who do have concerns grow more distant because two people with such different personalities cannot have a healthy relationship. This distancing between two people is proven by the relationship between Mildred and Guy. All Mildred wants to do is watch more television, and save enough money to buy another TV, while Guy has more concern for the rest of the world. He is worried about the impending war, about the lost books, and about his own happiness. He realizes that he cannot even remember where he first met Mildred, and it becomes very important to him that he figure it out. He asks Mildred about it and she, not being able remember it herself, thinks it is “funny, not to remember where you met your husband or wife’” (40). Again, Mildred shows a complete lack of concern for having forgotten something that most people, including her husband, consider very important. While Guy becomes very distressed that cannot remember this very important fact, Mildred simply forgets about the conversation, and moves on. Mildred also doesn’t notice how much this bothers Guy. She doesn’t care about remembering, and she certainly doesn’t care about how he feels about it. Another example of technology separating people is the attitudes of Mildred’s friends, Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles, toward their husbands and children. Mrs. Bowles has kids because “the world must reproduce, you …show more content…
In our society, people are very concerned about the current presidential election and conflicts going on overseas. The war in the novel is hardly mentioned; they don’t care about what happens. In the election, they voted based on superficial characteristics of the candidates, without even knowing anything about what the candidate would do for the country. Mrs. Bowles says that she voted for the president to be reelected because she thinks that “‘...he’s one of the nicest looking men ever became president’”(93). They continue to talk about the other candidate, who they felt would make a horrible president because he was “‘...Kind of small and homely and didn’t shave too close or comb his hair very well’” (93). The women barely care who their president is. They just go by what they saw on the TV, like the way candidates looked or dressed, not by their personality or what would make them a good president. Mildred also shows how distant she is from the rest of the world when Guy asks if she has seen their neighbor Clarisse, who he recently befriended but hadn’t seen for a few days. Mildred casually tells him that she thinks Clarisse was “‘Run over by a car. Four days ago. I'm not sure’” (44). Again, Mildred fails to show any sympathy or concern whatsoever despite the horrible accident. She doesn’t even remember to tell her husband until he asks her, and then doesn’t care about how much this affects