Ray Bradbury once said, “I don't try to describe the future. I try to prevent it." Bradbury warns us in his novels, bringing attention to the many flaws we have as a society. At first glance it might seem that in Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's novel, he is simply describing what society might look like in the future. But upon closer examination the reader will see that Bradbury is essentially criticizing the society we live in today. The novel centers on the life of Guy Montag, a fireman whose sole purpose is to burn books. His unexpected friendship with an outspoken girl opens his eyes to society's countless flaws. Therefore, Bradbury uses the novel to criticize society, highlighting our attachment to technology and inability to find time for ourselves. The reader should see that Bradbury uses many parts of his novel to criticize society's attachment to technology. He makes this evident through Mildred's obsession with television. Three walls of his living room are occupied by enormous television screens. He spends most of his time watching vacuous and meaningless programs on the giant television, wasting his life. In a fit of irritation Montag tells her to turn it off. To this she replies, “This is my family.” Seeing her attached to characters on a TV show, and being attached more to them than to her husband, is quite worrying. However, Mildred's obsession with technology isn't that far-fetched. In today's society it is increasingly clear that many people cannot live separated from technology, especially their phones. In a survey conducted by Time magazine, 84% of respondents said they “couldn't go a single day without their cell phone.” (Huffington Post) Such a large number is surprising....... middle of paper ...... highlights the need to slow down and take time to simply think and discuss. As can be seen, Bradbury criticizes society on its many flaws, including its dependence on technology and our inability to make time for ourselves. His criticism, however, is cautionary; he's trying to show us our mistakes so we can change them before it's too late. Our technological addiction and inability to make time for our thoughts is causing chaos and madness in the world. As he has said before, Bradbury is not trying to describe the future. He's trying to stop that from happening. Even if our society is not as warped and twisted as the one described in his novel, he wants to warn us that one day it could become exactly like that. It's up to us to prevent this from happening. Works Cited Bradbury, Ray. "Fahrenheit 451." New York: Simon & Schuster Paperback 2013.