Happiness Explored in Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 Essay

The philosopher Aristotle once wrote, â€Å"Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.† This famous quote compels people to question the significance of their joy, and whether it truly represents purposeful lives they want to live. Ray Bradbury, a contemporary author, also tackles this question in his book, Fahrenheit 451, which deals heavily with societys view of happiness in the future. Through several main characters, Bradbury portrays the two branches of happiness: one as a lifeless path, heading nowhere, seeking no worry, while the other embraces pure human experience intertwined together to reveal truth and knowledge. Of all characters, Bradbury uses Mildred Montag to effectively†¦show more content†¦How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?† (52). This quote illustrates that people like Mildred take refuge in entertainment to avoid worry and thought, by placing themselves in the feet of imaginary characters, whose shallow problems always play out to a happy ending. Because of this, she lives a pointless life, a life that is not even hers. However, Montag tries knock her out of her trance by saying that living true life comes with struggles, and the need to consider one own responsibility and choices, one that Mildred fails to create for herself. Instead, she uses entertainment as a chance to escape self-responsibility and hassle of solving her own issues. Surprisingly in Fahrenheit 451, Mildred reflects the attitude of society: almost everyone is a mirror image of her, following a lifeless and uncaring lifestyle, defined by childish entertainment, and thus achieving happiness through ignorance. Also, Bradbury provides Captain Beattys perspective that happiness is based on human equality. During his speech to Montag, Beatty states, â€Å"We must all be alike †¦. everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy † (58). In this context, Beatty explains that it is not equality that causes people to become happy, rather it is inequality that causes an imbalance. Throughout history, the repression of minorities have always repeated itself, a societal behavior that has beenShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Mind Travel By Ray Bradbury822 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom authors like Stephanie Meyers. High school students deserve to have an author like Ray Bradbury, whose imagination and descriptive language help transfer the reader into the novel. What sets Ray Bradbury aside from other authors is his ability to explore other genres, his impeccable writing styles and the powerful themes conveyed in his work, making him an excellent addition to the English 11 reading list. Ray Bradbury had a lot of amazing creativity that helped him to explore multiple genres,Read MorePerhaps We Are Going Away by Ray Bradbury839 Words   |  3 PagesRay Bradbury’s distaste for emerging technologies and government and social censorship, especially into artistic ventures, during the cold war was manifested in his work. After the Second World War the United States’ government began to defend against communism through the alienation of high profile potential communists, which deeply disturbed Bradbury, whom from early on in his life, especially during his time in Hollywood, had developed a love for the world of the arts and entertainment and wasRead MoreTotalitarianism In Fahrenheit 4511899 Words   |  8 Pagescomplete subservience to the state† (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com). In other words, totalitarianism is a society controlled by a government, composed of a limited amount of people, with complete control over the population. Throughout Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury entails of a society controlled by a totalitarian government, providing insight on how its mechanics function. Bradbury, a renowned writer especially for his visions of the future expressed throughout his literature, was born on AugustRead MoreFahrenheit 451 Gattaca Comparative Study - Historical Context2281 Words   |  10 Pagesthe current contextual concerns and the possibility of the dystopias that are developed as a result. This is demonstrated in the novel Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury and the film Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol. Both of these composers illustrate their fears for the fate of their society through the structural and language features of their texts. Ray Bradbury explores the value of using knowledge and independent thinking rather than blindly following the ‘rules’, without a second thought