Farenheit 451: Emotional Numbness

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451. pages 66-90

"And he remembered thinking then that if she died, he was certain he wouldn't cry. For it would be the dying face of an unknown, a street face, a newspaper image, and it was suddenly so very wrong that he had begun to cry, not at death but at the thought of not crying at death, a silly empty man near a silly empty woman.." (Bradbury 74)

Bradbury states this quote while Montag is reflecting back to the time when his wife, Mildred took a plethora of sleeping pills which lead her to being a step away from dying.

The reason why this quote was chosen is because of its crucial significance in regards to the society where Montag resides. It's a society where people have lost touch with reality, and they are suffocated by the great amounts of technology and virtual reality that exist in their daily lives. Some examples of virtual reality include "the Family." "The Family" is a group of "people" that are constantly present in their lives, and Mildred pays more attention to them than to her own husband.

Another object that plays a major role in separating Montag and Mildred not only physically, but also emotionally, is the three walls which are located between them in their bedroom, and encircle "The Family." Because of these walls, Montag and Mildred have a permanent feeling of emptiness in their lives; the type of emptiness that can only be filled by experiencing a real human connection. That is because when such a connection is experienced, not only are two people united by their interests, but their differences also begin to fade away as they grow closer together. Their issues begin to seem less catastrophic, and the ability to find joy in the simple things in life flourishes. It is because of the absence of such a relationship that Montag fails to feel sad at the thought of his wife passing away; because to him she is nothing more than just another human being whom he has no emotional connection to.

The author's intention when writing this quote is to show how virtual reality has a tremendous impact in the characters daily lives. When one thinks about it, the word itself virtual reality is an oxymoron, because something can either be virtual or real, but the two elements cannot coexist. Therefore, because they cannot coexist in theory, they cannot coexist in a person's mind either, since they contradict each other. This is why many times, when it comes to video games or anything that resembles reality up to every minor detail, people get so involved in them and react to every event in that game as if I'd be happening them in real life. And such a person often has a tendency to forget when something is not real, which directly affects everything in their life that is real, such as their friends and family.