Fahrenheit 451 Film Analysis

Consider the role of television in the film; and how it used in society. What role does it play in this culture of the film and why is it preferred to reading? Usually, the parlor walls contain large wall-sized television screens. They put a screen that is as large as the wall in a particular room, and if they can get all four walls of a room covered in television screens, then you have a total and complete interactive and entertainment package. At the beginning of the movie, Mildred and Montag have three T.V. walls in their "parlor" or living room, and Mildred is hinting around to Montag that she wants yet another one. However, the cost for a T.V. wall that is exorbitant it is nearly a third of Montag's yearly salary, which makes it so expensive; so it is a hard decision to make for him and his wife.
Therefore, Mildred is
addicted to watching television on these parlor walls. The programs that are on the television allow her to play an interactive role in the storyline, almost like a video game of sorts, where she is one of the characters in the drama. She spends most of her day watching and interacting with the television, and discusses all of the programs with her friends. It is a way for her to escape, and to not have to think about her life and how miserable she is. Montag jokes with her about the programs, calling the characters "the family," because she cares for them just like they are family members, and because she spends as much time with them as she does with him, if not more. So, the parlor walls are just large television screens that show programs.
In addition, Technology in Fahrenheit 451 was a means of the government's placating and controlling the masses, of course, a kind of drug to which it deliberately addicted people. But it is important to realize that today's technology, while it does seem to placate and even addict many people, has arisen, not by means of a government plot, but with the actions of various individuals and businesses who developed technological devices and systems, more often than not from a profit motive, and with the voluntary actions of those who choose to use the technology. To the degree we are placated or addicted is the result of individual choices, not the consequence of governmental action.
However, while this is a significant contrast, it does raise some important questions about the implications of government involvement to control our various technologies, which some believe would land us in a Fahrenheit 451 world. And since we have voluntarily become placated or addicted, we really should ask ourselves how easy it might be for that to happen now. There are countries where the government does control the technology, for example, China and North Korea. An "It can't happen here" attitude might not be the best attitude for us to have. In addition to those devices used to entertain and pacify the public, other technological devices are utilized by the government in order to control people. For example, the Mechanical Hound "sniffs out" perpetrators, such as those who clandestinely read books. Consequently, out of fear and in order to not be under suspicion and be harassed by the Hound and the police, people turn in others, even family members as, for instance, Mildred reports Montag out of fear for herself. Without doubt, then, the technology of Fahrenheit 451 is a threat, a threat to deeper thought, to true happiness and meaning in people's lives, and a threat to people's safety and quality of life.
Fahrenheit 451 is full of a lot of cool technology. Here is a list of some of the things I found as a reader and how they correlate to today: The mechanical hound shows the use of robots as tools for mankind. Obviously, today we use robots in factories or the work place, and robot technology is advancing every day. In order to enter his home, Montag has to stick his hand in an opening that identifies him. This is similar to fingerprint or eye identification we have today.
Fast cars and air tube trains in the novel show how we are “addicted” to speed and convenience.
We need to get places fast and find information fast today. We are impatient and want things at our fingertips. That is one reason why advertisers build 200 foot billboards in Fahrenheit 451 so they have a chance to capture their consumer’s attention as they speed by. The sea shells Mildred uses to drift away to sleep represent the small ear bud head phones we have today. The same is true for the walkie-talkie Montag wears to hear Faber while he is trying to escape the mechanical hound.
Furthermore, I talked about the wall-size T. V’s found in the homes of Fahrenheit 451 are today’s 50” flat screens and theater projectors. The technologies Bradbury describes in Fahrenheit 451 are all the result of a society that has embraced entertainment over knowledge. Books have been reduced to snippets and condensed versions of the originals. Fake TV soap opera families have replaced real family life. Life moves too fast in the novel and today. No one talks anymore, and society is crumbling under the weight of technology it claims makes them
happy.
In conclusion, in Fahrenheit 451 technology becomes a method of control as it dictates laughter and entertainment, thought and obedience. "life is immediate, pleasure lies all about. Why learn anything?" becomes the unspoken motto.