Reflection On Fahrenheit 451

In “Fahrenheit 451”, Ray Bradbury creates a world in which happiness is associated with distractions, arguing that true satisfaction, however, cannot be obtained from such illusions.

A distraction is anything that takes up one’s time. Distraction are often viewed negatively because they derail one’s original path. Examples such as the television attracting one’s eyes away from their paper (wink wink) are a nuisance in this world, but in “Fahrenheit 451” that same pull is viewed equal to that of gravity. This mindset is clearly explained by captain Beatty in his speech to montag on the history of the Firemen“...So bring on your clubs and parties, your acrobats and magicians, your daredevils, jet cars, motorcycle helicopters, your sex and heroin,
more of everything to do with automatic reflex. If the drama is bad, if the film says nothing, if the play is hollow, sting me with the theremin, loudly. I’ll think I’m responding to the play, when it’s only a tactile reaction to vibration. But I don’t care. I just like solid entertainment.” In bradbury’s world, distractions are sought out by individuals. They are, to them, the tiny road bumps; easy to climb up and yet make you feel taller standing on the top.

The people of this alternate universe do not hate the physicality of books, rather the journey a book can put one on. The citizens of the country are addicted to “instant gratification.” The feeling of happiness without any work being required by the user. Activities that offer this form of dopamine are all that the people take part in. Mildred explains in from her perspective the difference between books and T.V. ‘Books aren’t people. You read and I look all around, but there isn't anybody” ... “Now” said Mildred, “My ‘family’ is people. They tell me things: I laugh! And the colors!” This quote displays how Mildred views books as harbingers of nothingness because her familiarity with watching tv and the stimulus it creates in a short amount of time. Books and items of that sort are considered dull items incapable of holding anything of value due to the effort and involvement they require. It is through the ignorance of topics of controversy that the people of this new United States achieve bliss.

In Montag’s quest to root out what has stopped him from feeling “fulfilled” he encounters Faber, the retired english professor.
For the majority of the book, Montag believes that books are what is missing in his life, but as faber goes on to explain “Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores.” () Faber is explaining how books produce a true experience, that is an experience that isn't hollow or shallow. Books are not the only thing that can carry this kind of weight, TV and radio could easily contain such sustenance, it is just not demanded by the people anymore. Montag is not happy because the world he lives in is just distractions full of bright colors, sugar, and noises. There no time to analyze, there is no need to think.

Fahrenheit 451 presents a world where people have lost all depth. Happyness is given to the people, it is no longer being earned. It is all an illusion of satisfaction. Arguement:
Some might argue that if an individual has grown fond of an illusion, then why wake them from that joy? Now, that is a fair point, but as we see in the book, if they wake up, they realize how unhappy they truly are. When the parlor is powered off, and the lights go out, and the people are left with only their thoughts, the results are devastating. Mildred overdoses, her friends burst into tears, and for those that can survive the awakenment, like Montag, they fight for the return of the old ways. Happyness from a dream is just that, a dream. It is the prelude to a journey, which in turn will lead to real
happiness.