Fahrenheit 451 Characters: A Literary Analysis of Ray Bradbury’s Dystopian Novel

In the futuristic philosophical novel, Fahrenheit 451, the author, Ray Bradbury, through the detached and narcissistic characters, suggests that depending upon technology will lead society into becoming an un-unified, imprudent, apathetic society. Bradbury illustrates how the future of society is becoming more and more demeaning as we continue to confide in technology.

As Bradbury illustrates each character, he goes about doing this by embedding each character into the story as an element of his idea that technology will ruin society. Through the preeminent and dynamic character, Montag, the author emphasizes how society will be impoverished of the meaning of their true selves, after books become completely devaluated in correspondence to technology's idolization. Bradbury highlights this idea by taking customarily unexceptional habits that Montag practices, and making them colossal. Montag's habit of curiosity for books nearly leads him to being incarcerated by the fire department that is at the moment, led by Beatty, "A problem (Montag's curiosity for books) gets too burdensome, then into the furnace with it.

Now, Montag, you're a burden. And fire will lift you off my shoulders, clean, quick, sure; nothing to rot later. Antibiotic, aesthetic, practical... When you're quite finished, you're under arrest" (109,111). With this plot, the author leads the reader to rationalize that the demolition of books will lead people to become blind to who they are wholly, and in turn making them become insane. Throughout the novel, as Montag begins to illegally read books, he begins to contemplate; he begins to question the purpose of the life that he lives, and the way the government is shaping society. Today, these thought would be none other than orthodox, but in this society, where books are ostracized, these thoughts are reflected as being heretical and mistrustful.

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The discipline enforced upon concurring these thoughts, led people to the idea that having thoughts, in general, would make them reprehensible. The imprudence derived from this idea leads to the apathetic and monotonous-minded society Fahrenheit 451describes. One of the many analogies exemplified throughout the novel is- books are to growth as opinion is to society. Books promote growth and stimulation for a human's mind, just as opinion promotes the growth needed to advance as a society. In comparison, apotheosizing technology will belittle the literary constituents needed to successfully progress as a civilization.

Bradbury's concept that society will be so captivated by technology and ourselves, that we will disengage ourselves from all relationships we have apart from ourselves, is displayed by the static character, Mildred. Mildred, being one of the most detached characters, can only find time to speak to her husband, Montag, about the things she wants, but does not need, and the things she encounters throughout her day of engaging with technology. Being so obsessed with technology, Mildred does not even have the consideration to speak to Montag when she sees him, because she is so caught up with whatever she is hearing through her headphones, "She had both ears plugged with electronic bees...She looked up suddenly, saw him (Montag), and nodded" (16).

As it is contemporary to accost someone and ask about their day, when Montag arrives home from work, all Mildred can find interest to talk about is "The Family" she observes on a television show. At the opening of section three of the novel, when Mildred exposes Montag's books to the fire department and leaves Montag without speaking to him, the reader is led to characterize her as selfish; selfish, because she neglects her husband for her own well- being. In this way, Bradbury is telling the reader that technology will isolate society from the relationships they have with others.

Bradbury's illustration of each character in the novel, helps the reader understand how technology will effect each of us later in society. The author's interpretation of society in the future that is described in the novel, is an omen from him to the present day society. This omen exhibits that the value of books and philosophy needs to increase in correspondence to technology, which needs to be decreasing. The accuracy of Bradbury's interpretation and foreshadowing in Fahrenheit 451, is to a gold-standard.

Currently, the value of books and literary arts is decreasing, while the advancement of technology is increasing. As authors continue to publish their philosophies, society is beginning to become less and less interested. The upcoming generations are focused on posting pictures of themselves on Instagram, telling people about themselves on Facebook, and notifing others of what they are doing on twitter. These social media websites advertise arrogance and belittle face-to-face communication. This lack of communication, will lead society to becoming the society illustrated in the novel- self-absorbed, imprudent, and un-unified. Work Cited Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2013.

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