First, I would say there is an overriding
passive/disconnected tone to the book. This is evidenced first by
the 3rd person point of view. The action is often seen from a distance - which
emphasizes a disconnection - certainly there is evidence of disconnection between
characters, disconnection from reality, disconnection from desire, knowledge, truth,
etc.
There is also an ironic,
paradoxical tone in this novel. Consider, for example, the use of the
mechanical hound to sniff out books. Arguably, this is a pretty important job in the
society presented, and it is carried out by a robot. Paradoxically, characters like
Mildred, do not really have any important responsibilities, and actually appear more
robotic than the robots. This is intentionally ironic - used to
heighten the sense that when/if the world stops caring - people will become more like
robots and we will have to create robots to get things
done.
Finally, I would not go so far as to say there is a
morbid tone, but certainly the tone throughout the novel is very
somber. This means, basically, serious. Although it is a work of
science fiction - the ideas of censorship, loss of knowledge, loss of the
persuit of knowledge - these are very serious ideas that if played
out in reality at even a fraction of how they play out in the book - could result in
very serious consequences. I'm sure you noticed this is not by any means, a
lighthearted book. Even the humor is dark. Bradbury's intention here was clearly less
focused on entertainment, and more focused on the deeper
message.
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