"It had an eye"

“It had an eye. The impersonal operator of the machine could, by wearing a special optical helmet, gaze into the soul of the person whom he was pumping out. What did the eye see? He did not say. He saw but did not see what the Eye saw. The entire operation was not unlike the digging of a trench in one’s yard. The woman on the bed was no more than a hard stratum of marble they had reached. Go on, anyway, shove the bore down, slush up the emptiness, if such a thing could be brought out in the throb of the suction snake. The operator stood smoking a cigarette.” (Page 14, Narrator/Guy Montag's inner monologue)

We’re barely into the beginning of Fahrenheit 451 when we’re confronted with this interesting section of text. While the author Ray Bradbury could’ve just as easily told us (the readers) what sort of a world/society the narrative would take place in, he instead showed us how vastly different of a world Guy Montag lives in. It seems as if in the future people have access to more advanced technology, being able to bring back Montag’s wife back from despite a massive overdose of sleeping pills. Imagine all that with little to no effort, not even requiring a medical doctor! Indeed “the operator stood smoking a cigarette” casually, after all why would he be amazed? In the world of Fahrenheit 451 this technology is obviously widespread enough, undoubtedly saving many lives in a year. Yet Bradbury drops not-so-subtle hints that all is not as good as it may seem.

By referring to the technology as something with an “eye” that “gaze(d) into the soul of the person” Bradbury is using personification, a basic literary device to give us the readers the feeling as if the breathing apparatus was alive. So we’ve established 2 basic facts, technology has advanced greatly in Bradbury’s future and the average citizen views the technology as living organisms. If you put these 2 facts together, you’ll come to the conclusion that the average denizens of this futuristic world don’t truly comprehend the science or principles behind their technology. As strange as it might sound, by embracing technology so freely the people have lost their understanding of how it originally worked and instead just treat it as if it just magically works for them as if it were a benevolent organism instead of the piece of technology it actually is. By showing us instead of just telling us about what sort of dystopian society Guy Montag lives in, Bradbudy allows us to insert our own imagery within the confines of his story, making it that much more effective.