Henry David Thoreau, a famous American author, once said that "What good is a home if you have no tolerable planet to put it on?" In essence, Thoreau is saying that even though people are normal, we as a society are not and have various flaws. Ray Bradbury reflects on Thoreau's ideas in his novel titled Fahrenheit 451. Although Bradbury is describing what society might look like in the future, he is actually criticizing the society we live in today. In the novel, Guy Montag, the protagonist, realizes that his supposed utopian society is actually a dystopia. Montag finally realizes this when Clarisse, his young neighbor, asks him if he is happy. Although Montag believes he is happy, it becomes clear later in the novel that he is not. Montag finds countless flaws in his society. Throughout the novel, Bradbury's goal is to warn the reader of society's flaws, such as the education system and our attachment to technology. The reader should see that Bradbury uses Clarisse several times in the novel to criticize the education system. Montag has known Clarisse for some time now and asks her why she doesn't go to school. She responds by saying that she doesn't go to school because she is considered "antisocial" (33). Bradbury criticizes the fact that schools expect students to come to class, sit quietly and understand all the information they are taught. He doesn't expect students to ask questions and actually think and be productive. The system wants to brainwash students into believing everything they are taught. Students will eventually become average, just like most people in society. Shortly after this statement, Cla...... middle of paper ......radbury talks about our dependence on technology and how it not only harms us, but also harms others. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury must be read to understand the criticism he directs at society. Although our society is not as absurd and bizarre as the one in the novel, Bradbury wants to warn us that one day it may become so. We as a society only have the power to correct our flaws and make this planet tolerable for our life. Works Cited “PowerPoint Usage Statistics and Market Share.” About PowerPoint. Np, 15 February 2012. Web. 16 November 2013.Thompson, Clive. “PowerPoint makes you stupid.” New York Times December 14, 2003: 1. Print. "Digital will surpass TV in time spent with US media." eMarketer. Np, August 1, 2013. Web. November 16, 2013. Ketenjian, Tania. “Are children addicted to texting? (And is that a bad thing?).” Huffington Post September 27, 2013: 1. Print.