One of the most important themes of the book Fahrenheit 451 is the lack of human communication and social relationships. Ray Bradbury, author of the novel Fahrenheit 451, highlights the poor or almost non-existent relationships between many of the characters in the novel. The dilapidation of human contact in this work makes the reader notice an idea that Bradbury is trying to convey. This idea is that human communication is important and can even be considered necessary, even as our technology continues to advance. There are multiple examples of the degradation of human relationships found in Fahrenheit 451. These examples range from simple clamshell radios, which are comparable to in-ear headphones, to a television that spans an entire wall and interacts with you as if it were human. If you look around while walking down the street, you will notice the large amount of people connected to the virtual realm, but disconnected from reality. Even today we can see the lack of communication in society. The clamshell radio is a device that is inserted into the ear, just like headphones. This device allows its listener to listen to radio broadcasts. Mildred, who is married to Montag, is the character depicted using the clamshell radio. She appears to be very antisocial and withdrawn when listening to Montag talk. When she and her husband are in bed, Montag glances at his wife and notices that "her conch was attached to her ear again, and she was listening to distant people in distant places, with her eyes wide open and staring into the depths of darkness." above her in the ceiling" (Bradbury, p. 42). Montag continues with a sarcastic thought, thinking to himself... middle of paper... the book has to offer. It gives Montag a new outlook on life, simply by asking questions and actually taking an interest in his life. Finally, in his novel Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury states that technology, while wonderful, can be very dangerous Humanity is the glue that holds society together and technology simply cannot be a substitute. “We have everything we need to be happy, but we are not happy.” This quote from Montag sums up the effects of a deteriorated social society. He recognizes that people have gotten to the point where they are slaves to their technology, but he has no idea where to start, and ultimately, the fix starts at the end. Works Cited Bradbury, Ray. "Fahrenheit 451." New York: Simon & Schuster Paperback 2013.