Fahrenheit 451

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The television parlor is another technological advancement that influenced people’s behavior in Fahrenheit 451. Montag’s wife, Mildred, is one of those people who is affected. When Montag arrives from the fire station, he begins talking with Mildred trying to remember the moment they’ve met each other. Neither of them were able to remember. Montag realizes he's not in love with Mildred anymore. He feels like he's lost her to high-speed driving, the Seashells that are always stuffed in her ears, and the chattering "relatives" on the three TV screen walls in the living room. “Will you turn the parlor off?” he asked. Mildred responded, “that’s my family” (Bradbury 46).On the occasions when he tries to watch TV with Mildred, he's overwhelmed by the noise and nonsense of it, and Mildred isn't ever able to explain what the "relatives" are arguing about, either. The TV parlor shows how technology has taken over Mildred making her unable to turn it off and thinking of it as family.

Fahrenheit 451 shows a society controlled by its government and technology. Main characters, such as Montag, Clarisse, and Mildred are affected by how the government has promoted fear against intellectual people. The stomach pump, mechanical hound, the burning of books are some example of government and technology that influence society in the novel. Fahrenheit 451 shows how a government can try to control and silence people. Ray Bradbury’s purpose in describing the Montag’s society more than the character can clearly show the importance of the setting in Fahrenheit 451.

Work Cited

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Simon & Schuster, 2013