Technology In Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man

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From the first automobile to the first cell phone, technology is a never ending mechanical and scientific evolution that is designed to benefit us and make life easier. Every day we rely on technology to help us achieve our goals quickly and efficiently while using the least amount of energy we possibly can. There is an extremely large dependence on these technologies and their functionality. This dependence and reliance on the constantly growing technological advancements around us is argued by some as harmful and dangerous, ultimately becoming damaging. In The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury, the idea of technology and its harmful long term effects is brought up on many occasions. Although the advancement of technology throughout the years…show more content…
The setting once again has futuristic technologies in it such as “parents came and went in chromium beetles, repairmen came to repair the vacuum elevators in houses, to fix fluttering television sets or hammer upon stubborn food-delivery tubes” (169). Bradbury is once again showing how reliant people have become upon technology for their everyday tasks. Another example of how technology is negative is when Mrs. Morris is serving Mink food and “she poked a red button on the kitchen butler, and ten seconds later something landed with a bump in the rubber receiver, Mrs. Morris opened it, took out a can with a pair of aluminum holders, unsealed it with a flick, and poured hot soup into a bowl” (171). This is yet another example of how technology is being used for everything. In the story, Mink and Mrs. Morris have such a poor relationship because of the lack in relationship technology has created between them. Mink is playing “Invasion” while her mother is just in the house letting it take care of itself, instead of being with her daughter and building a relationship. She talks to her friend Helend on the “audio-visor” (174) and sitting in “the electric relaxing chair” (175) while Mink is out helping “Drill” invade planet Earth. Throughout The Illustrated Man, it is clear that Bradbury believes that technology and its dependency will only lead to destruction and hardship. He is extremely anti-technology and he makes that clear through his multiple examples of technology replacing relationships and ultimately causing damage and even death. Although technology can be beneficial to us, it can also cause serious harm if overused and not regulated properly. Just like anything else, there’s a certain limit to everything, and past that limit is where chaos

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