Individual vs. Machine

Although the tragedy in this story has already taken place by the time the story opens, it is actually the conflict between human beings and the ma chines they create that is at the heart of this story. In Bradbury's view, people put too much faith In the machines they invent. People have the power to create devices that can destroy themselves, but they have not enacted any measures to prevent this from happening. Bradbury believes that technology is a very wondrous-yet also very dangerous-thing. He illustrates technology's marvels: a house that can clean itself and take care of its inhabitants. On the other hand, technology has also transformed the house's family into nothing but carbon shadows. By writing a story with no human interaction, Bradbury demonstrates the sterility of a world without people. The computerized house has no feelings-it cannot love and it cannot hate-it...