Fahrenheit 451 is a novel that draws many comparisons between the society depicted in the book and modern-day American society. One similarity is the increasing demand for speed and efficiency in our technologically advanced society, which mirrors the fast-paced world of Fahrenheit 451. Additionally, both societies have seen an increase in once-taboo behaviors such as suicide and murder becoming more commonplace. Finally, there is a growing concern about government control and censorship in both societies.
There are also differences in our society and the society in Fahrenheit 451. For one, our society does not make games out of criminal activities like the society in Fahrenheit 451. Another difference is that our present-day government and society do not see war as a usual thing and do not take war lightly, unlike the government and society in Fahrenheit 451. Our present-day society is becoming more technologically advanced, and as a result, things are becoming faster and easier to use. In the society of Fahrenheit 451, technology has developed further than in our world and has probably met the demands that we have now. Still, the citizens in Fahrenheit 451 have increased their demand for speed and ease of use.
For example, the cars in Fahrenheit 451 exceed present-day speed limits and are legally allowed to speed.” In our society, cars are also becoming faster and faster, resulting in the constant breaking of speed limits. Additionally, in Fahrenheit 451, banks are open 24 hours a day with electronic tellers to make it easier for citizens to withdraw money anytime they want. In our society, new banking techniques are being developed, such as ATMs, which are similar to the robots in Fahrenheit 451 in that they allow anyone with an ATM account to withdraw cash at any time of the day. This is evidence that our society is becoming more technologically advanced, dependent, and insistent on faster things.
Another similarity between our society and the society in Fahrenheit 451 is that events such as murder and suicide are becoming more common than they used to be. For example, in Fahrenheit 451, when Millie overdosed on her sleeping pills, instead of an ambulance coming to take her to the hospital, a crew” came to her house to pump her stomach and flush her blood. When Guy asked why they didn’t have to bring her to the hospital, they told him that it was routine and it happened 7 or 8 times on his block every night. This is also evident in our society. For instance, our hospitals have certain teams to respond to anything from attempted suicides to attempted murders. Another example in our society is that we have established numbers that you can call if somebody consumes poison (poison control center), where the operator can give you information on how to control the poison or get it out of the person’s system.
One other similarity between our society and the society in Fahrenheit 451 is that the government in both societies is gradually turning the table in their direction and slowly trying to force their ideology on us. They are trying to form an indoctrinated type of society. This is slowly taking effect in our society, and we are not reacting to it in the way that we should. Rather, we are ignoring it and letting it take place. If we keep letting it happen, then our society can end up like the society in Fahrenheit 451, in which the government basically controls their lives and does not let them be exposed to different ideas than what the government sees fit. They censor out any outside ideas such as books and education.
As a result of censoring out these materials, our society could end up like the society in Fahrenheit 451. The government could make certain agencies, such as the firemen who burn books, stop us from sharing other people’s ideas. Along with similarities, there are also differences between our society and the society in Fahrenheit 451. One of these differences is that our society, at least not yet, does not make games out of illegal activities. For example, in Fahrenheit 451, Clarisse was run over by somebody speeding. This was considered a normal case since in this society, there was a game that teens played, in which you got a certain amount of points if you hit a person. Although this may occasionally happen in our society too, it is not considered normal and is not looked upon as teens just having fun” as it is looked upon in Fahrenheit 451.
This is a distinct difference between our society and the society in Fahrenheit 451. Another difference is that the society and government in Fahrenheit 451 takes war lightly and sees it as routine. Bombers are always overhead and the wives of the men in the army talk about how quick the war will be, 48 hours, it’s going to be a quick war.” However, in our society, war is taken seriously and usually lasts for weeks or months. The wives and husbands of members of the armed forces worry about how long their partner will be away and if they will die. This is another difference between our society and the society in Fahrenheit 451.
These are some of the similarities and differences of our society and the society of Fahrenheit 451. I hope that you have realized by reading this that our society is not very different from the society in Fahrenheit 451. Also, if we keep up the way we are living, we may end up like the society in Fahrenheit 451. Additionally, I hope that you have realized that the things we take for granted, such as books and other materials, are slowly becoming rarer. If we continue to take these things for granted, they may disappear along with our morals and values, as happened to the society in Fahrenheit 451. I hope you have enjoyed this essay and that it has taught you about the Fahrenheit 451 society and our society and the differences and similarities between them.
