While I love the book, I can't read it without getting this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Why? The answer is simple and unfortunately obvious--the society in the book follows exactly the road that the human race is taking today. Now, I'm not going to go on a big philosophical or political spiel here, but the glaring similarities between the humans in the book and humans in the world today are astonishing.
Take Mildred Montag, for example. Her life is so controlled by technology and her mind is so brainwashed by media that she can hardly ever remove herself from the virtual world. When she isn't sitting around with her television "family," she has her Seashell radio in her ears, closing herself off from all human contact in the real world. When she does speak to Guy Montag or other people, she does not give her full attention to the person who is trying to talk to her. She forgets things quickly, but not just minor events; she forgets important events, such as how she and Montag met and Clarisse's death. Because of technology and society, Mildred has become a hollow, emotionless shell of a person--Montag feels like he is in an empty room, even when Mildred is there.
Sound familiar?
(from http://bit.ly/1gTCgWU)
If it is not still becoming clear to you, let me enlighten you with a story. Last week, I was attempting to have a conversation with someone my age. However, it was clearly evident by the phone in their hand and their down-turned gaze that I was not about to have a coherent conversation. When the person did respond to me, which was not very often, their responses were delayed and very brief (maybe a word or two). Vexed by this, I went to try to talk with another friend. This time I had more luck, and we had a nice little chat. However, while exchanging words, my friend asked me, "Hey, can I see your phone?"
"Why?" I asked.
"So I can check the time."
"Why don't you just look at the clock on the wall? It's right there."
"It takes too long to read it, and I can't really do it anyway."
Her words hit me like a train.
I then began to realize how much technology is controlling our lives. We can't go a few hours without having to check our phones or our computers every chance we get. Conversation is becoming harder and harder for people--as we give more attention to our devices, we lose the precious practice we need in order to develop effective communication skills: just talking to people. In fact, studies show that technology addiction is similar to drug addiction.
Speaking of drug addiction, this brings us right back to Fahrenheit 451 and Mildred. Mildred, while she may not seem aware of her self-confinement in the virtual universe, may actually be aware of this. Because she can't just leave--they're her family after all--she tries to escape the only guaranteed way: suicide. By swallowing pill after pill after pill she attempts to break away from her artificial happiness, a common feature of the people of the dystopian society in the novel (and people today).
There is no denying that technology is taking over our lives, draining us of our ability to connect with the people that truly matter.
If Fahrenheit 451 isn't a wake-up call to the condition of the world today, I don't know what is.
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