Fahrenheit 451 Discussion/Analysis

[Shireen]

I'm about half-way through this book. There are so many themes, symbols and imagery I'd love to discuss with people who have also read the book. I'll probably finish it by tonight or tomorrow.
One thing I'm really intrigued by is the general attitude towards animals in this society. There's a couple scenes depicting various characters taking pleasure in harming dogs and cats. I'm an animal lover and have both a cat and a dog. I know people in our society exist who hurt animals but they're typically considered fringe, psychopathic or criminal by society. What stands out in the book is how normal it is. If my friend, spouse or partner told me to "kick the dog for them" What does that mean in this society Ray Bradbury was describing? How did this society become so

[Rosemary]

Shireen, it has been many years since I have read Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury was an author who was way ahead of his time! I don't remember if the book delves into how this society came to be, but book censorship and people being too engrossed in media could have been the beginning. Your question has me wanting to reread it.

[Michael]

Shireen wrote: "What stands out in the book is how normal it is"
We have to remember how old this book is, 71 years old! I think it is just a sign of the times back then. Cat's were hated by men and physical punishment was the norm.

[Dee du Lac]

I thought that this was to show the people's lack of empathy in this society. They have no feelings for others, there is no real interaction, so evidently no one will feel pity for the animals. If I remember it correctly, (I'll try not to spoil the novel) at the end, a pedestrian is taken as a target by the police. Was he walking his dog? So this would make him doubly odd: there are very few pedestrians in this society and even fewer pet owners. The other dog mentioned in the novel (apart from those that are run over) is the Mechanical Hound, a machine...