How I Think Our World Has Become Like "Fahrenheit 451"
I'm going to be honest, reading is not my favorite. It has to be a topic that really grabs me for me to get into the book. But with the current times I stumbled upon a book that my sister had read as a kid and enjoyed, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. She loved that book so much, she even did a book report on it and painted a large poster of a book going into a fire, with the introductory sentence, "It was a pleasure to burn." I decided to read the book and find out what it was about after hearing that it was about topics such as censorship and a social-media-centered world.
The story is about a young fireman, Guy Montag, questioning why the world is the way it is, and why books have been forgotten and have now been banned. His job, instead of fighting fires, is now to burn down people's houses that contain books. His Captain tells him of how books lost their value, that over history, people abandoned books in favor of a quickening pace of life, and books were abridged, and then obliterated. Books also expressed free thought. Society no longer wanted to take time to read books for themselves, or write or do art for themselves. People now watched "the parlor walls" which is like a touchscreen wall in their living room. Only on TV were channels such as the news, politics, and other current events. Nothing artistically made. Billboards were made bigger to accommodate people driving faster as well. The fireman's wife is absorbed in keeping up with the characters on the Parlor Walls, which she calls her "friends," similar to an Instagram influencer today. Montag wants to engage in meaningful, intellectual conversation with his wife, who cannot understand it. Another girl in the story is considered an outcast among her peers because she would rather take walks outside than watch what is going on in her feed, and in fact her family made her see a therapist because of this. Montag also keeps books hidden away in his closet and under his bed. When his wife's friends come over, all they want to do is talk about what they have seen on TV when he brings out a book of poetry and reads Dover Beach, causing his wife's friend to cry. His home then gets burned down because of the books, and his wife leaves him. He escapes down the river to a group of exile readers who have memorized books, and together they rebuild society after it has been destroyed.
I think social media is much like the Parlor Walls. People go off of what they see on Facebook and Instagram instead of talking to the person themselves or calling them on the phone after dinner. Others have formed their political opinions based on an Instagram post done by an influencer. People find out big events on Facebook that happened to a person and if you hadn't seen it yet, someone will ask you, "Did you check Facebook? So-and-so got engaged!"
In one part of the book, it talks about the Parlor Walls being on the inside of a bus where Montag rides to visit an older friend, Professor Faber, who lived at a time when books were legal and much more populous. Faber only has an old TV and nothing else in his house, besides his many books. As Montag is riding the bus desperately trying to hide his copy of The Bible, he hears an ad on the Parlor walls, "Denham's Dentifrice," repeating over and over again, and the other passengers start tapping their toes to the rhythm of the ad as Montag desperately tries to think about the verse he just read. "Consider the lilies..." "Denham's Dentifrice! Denham's Dentifrice!" This seems much like what we see today, social media constantly getting in the way of our creativity, intellect, and happiness.
People would rather scroll through an influencer's Selfies and hear what they have to say about looking hot, than would sit down and read a book, or practice music, or do beading or painting, take their own vacation that they enjoy, or experiment with their unique look, using their imagination. I saw a pouch recently that said "Selfie Preparation Kit." People would rather put makeup on to look perfect for their followers than wear it because they like it, or to dance in a 2000s music video that is truly glamorous and showcases the hard work! People would rather watch, and take Selfies for, The Parlor Walls! The posts that get the most attention are about none other than politics, current events, and other news. I feel like I am the one sometimes who gets a book of poetry out of the closet while someone is checking Instagram, reads it aloud, and it is perceived as obscure. Isn't that sad?
Also what I see happening is a quickening pace of life. People want AI to write songs and essays for them, to do art for them, and some people aren't willing to fathom that it takes time to sit down and learn to play an instrument or finish a painting. People complain when they don't get their food or their bank transaction done that second. You have "estimated reading times" on a computer article, or you can see on the phone screen exactly where your bus is while you're waiting for it, rather than enjoying the scenery or the story. You can also see where in flight the plane is too! As a person who likes geography, I enjoy seeing what state I am in during the flight, but I don't like the perspective of "I can't just sit back and enjoy the flight without keeping an eye on the clock because I'm in a hurry." People want 2-day shipping, and sometimes 1-day shipping, and will pay more to get things now. People aren't willing to read reviews anymore, so Amazon sums it up with AI right in front of you.
Perhaps the topic in this book that people think about the most is censorship and the fear of being watched. As Montag runs away, the Mechanical Hound, a killing, dog-shaped giant robot, can smell the smell of the individual that is to be caught and "executed." He jumps into the river hoping the water will ward off his scent, and he runs far, far away into the country. The Hound can go anywhere in the city and detect where in the city the person is. Earlier I mentioned that the Captain states that books may contain the occasional difficult topic, or a different opinion than the reader's. So in the book, all opinions were done away with completely. With the opinions were any creative thought that was also done away with. I think this book has aged well and can serve as a warning to us all.
Have you read this book? What do you think? Let me know... :)
The Quiet Girl
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