Fahrenheit 451 Critical Analysis

“There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar;...” These are the thoughts of Lord Byron, a british poet, on experiencing the power of nature. A similar sentiment is seen in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 as one of the main themes. The thought is expressed a little differently, but it can be seen in many situations throughout the book. Although people try to feel alive using objects or superficial feelings, nature and people are what truly bring a person the feeling of being alive.

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 illustrates the idea of people using superficial feelings and possessions to feel alive many times. The first is during Guy’s first meeting with Clarisse, when she comments about how people in this society no longer focus on nature and just rush through everything saying “If you showed a driver a green blur, Oh yes! he’d say, that’s grass!”(6) Clarisse says most people associate green blurs with grass saying “Oh yes! he’d say, that’s grass!” in reference to a driver’s reaction to grass. This shows how people are not paying attention to detail and are ignoring the world around them.

People trying to use possessions, such as phones, to feel alive will usually have significantly less success than those who form connections with nature or with other people, such as those who go out and look at the world around them and see the small details that make life amazing. Using material objects such as fancy cars, expensive phones, or lavish home is a pit that many people in today’s society fall into; just as the people in Fahrenheit 451 do, if a little less extreme. One thing that all of those who read Fahrenheit 451 should always keep in mind, is that connections with other people are vital to truly feeling