"Fahrenheit 451" Question 3

What universal themes does this book address?  What does the author understand about human nature?  "Fahrenheit 451" writes about the theme of technology/modernization/materialism/consumerism.  Basically any synonym of those words could fit right in, too.  In the book, television has basically taken over everything.  It has replaced family, friends, actual conversation, and of course reading an ACTUAL book.  This is a representation of all technology and material objects.  The author, Ray Bradbury, is trying to teach us before something can happen.  He's trying to teach us that technology is very tempting and can very easily take over actual tangible relationships and such.  Another theme was that of identity.  Identity is really what "Fahrenheit 451" is centered around.  Montag begins to lose his identity and from there the plot unfolds.  "Fahrenheit 451" asks us the question what defines your identity?  Through the novel, Montag is trying really very hard to answer that.  In the end, then answer appeared to be simply:  your actions.  People do not care nearly as much about what you say compared to what you ITALICIZE do.  If I am to slap someone as opposed to just calling them an offensive name, the slap will easily be remembered over the name-calling.  In the novel, no one cares nearly as much about the poetry Montag exposed as opposed to when he literally incinerated a man.  "Fahrenheit 451" teaches us that our identity is not defined by well-though out rebuttals or speeches or insult, but our actions.  How we do onto others and ourselves.  Ray Bradbury shows that he really understand human nature in "Fahrenheit 451."  In the 1950's he already could see how materialistic and obsessed with technology the world was already becoming.  We didn't even have iPods and iPhones and HD television on our screen TV's yet.  Somehow, Bradbury could see where we were headed early on.  He shows that he understand that humans have a need to need what everyone else has and to just fit-in.  I don't think our society has gone completely down hill or anything, but we could definitely opt for some improvements when it comes to technology.     


Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print.