Fahrenheit 451

Leslie Gore Gore 1

Mrs. Martin

ENG3U1

2013

Lack of Life

"Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for

whatever reason, turn his back on life." This quote by Eleanor Roosevelt speaks about the

importance of living life to the fullest and never giving up, regardless of what situation you

find yourself in. There are many things in life that can be a hindrance to the quality of your

life. The process of choosing to look past those barriers and see the beauty is the key to a

passion-filled life. A fulfilling life is enriched with good relationships, curiosity, individuality,

emotions, and the ability to think and relate to others. When all these things are

corresponding well, we could say that person has a purposeful life. But, in Ray Bradbury's

novel Fahrenheit 451, we learn that when we someone is lacking these things, life becomes

[Portrait of Mildred Bailey, Carnegie Hall(?), New...

[Portrait of Mildred Bailey, Aquarium, New York, N...

Mildred Adams Fenton (1899-1995)

meaningless. In this particular society, no one is searching for passionate life. Though

enlightenment is everywhere and the earth explodes with inspiration, no one is tearing at

the seams, trying to peek out into the real world from behind the curtains. The earth is full

of beauty and knowledge, and to not experience it is tragic. Each person is different; we all

think and act based upon our own personalities, how we were raised and the culture we

were brought up in. Lack of knowledge takes a huge toll upon the people in this society;

they simply do not understand all that they are missing. Throughout this book, we see that

the society is lost, empty and purposeless because of the lack of meaningful relationships,

inability to express real emotion, and the suppression of individual thought.

The society in Fahrenheit 451 is not just lacking these...