Why do we still read Fahrenheit 451?

Even though Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was written over fifty years ago, it still remains relevant in today's society. This may be due to the fact that it contains a warning for mankind. Fahrenheit 451 is still read today because it gives a picture of what society could turn into if we turn our backs on books and all the knowledge they hold. Fahrenheit 451 paints a grim picture of a world where people do not care to think. They all just want to watch television mindlessly. This lack of serious thought creates a civilization that only cares for when their next favorite show will be on. Mildred, Montag's wife, is a perfect example of this. All she cares about are the people on the television screen in her parlor that she calls "the family". Her affection for this "family" even overrides the affection she has Montag. She is so busy interacting with these fake people that she doesn't even get out to live life. Even when she invites over her friends, it's just so they can all watch the television together (Bradbury 93). This has made Mildred so mindless because she never bothers to think and she almost dies from her thoughtless actions. At the beginning of the novel, she cannot even think of what she is doing in the present and does not realize that she has already had a sleeping pill for the night (Bradbury 19). She continues to live life on autopilot and soon finishes an entire bottle of sleeping pills because she cannot recall taking her pill (Bradbury 19). Mildred would have most likely have died if Montag did not come in and find her (Bradbury 13). The disturbing part is that when Montag finds out that the men pumping Mildred's stomach don't even have medical degrees, because so many people that are overdosing on pills that doctors cannot see them all (Bradbury 15). All of these overdoses are just a result of a society that has grown so mentally lazy that they cannot even remember how many pills they have taken.

Bibliography: Bradbury, Ray. Farenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 1953. Print