One of the fascinating aspects about dystopian society is
the way that it takes one aspect of our society today and extrapolates that feature into
the future, painting a picture of a future dystopia that acts as a kind of warning about
what our society could look like if we carry on the way that we are going or fail to
moderate or curb our more concerning excesses. This story is no exception. The biggest
comment that Bradbury seems to be makign about our present is the way that technology is
dominating our society, and what that says about
us.
Consider the tremendous irony in the tale. There are no
human characters that feature in this story, and this reinforces the irony. The same
technical genius that was responsible for the creation of a house that carries on doing
the normal household tasks without the need for humans is also responsible for the
technological creation of weapons that can completely annihilate humanity. Thus this
story set in a chilling future where all mankind has been wiped out is actually more
about the present than anything else. Technological innovations are certainly
incredible, Bradbury seems to be saying, however, without wisdom and common sense to
temper our sense of scientific hubris, we face a very uncertain and precarious future in
our world.
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