Authoritarianism In Fahrenheit 451

Thomas Paine once said, “Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness.” In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Montag, the protagonist, works as a fireman. Throughout the novel, he begins to discover his true self. In this utopian society, people are conceited and have little or no emotions. Similarly, many in our society are self-centered and have limited feelings. Even though both societies have numerous characteristics in common, the two societies have multiple differences.

“We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against” (Bradbury, 55-56). Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is set in a bleak dystopian future in which books are illegal, freethinking is considered taboo and dangerous, and entertainment like TV and racing cars is used to control the masses. In this government controlled society, where the public is brainwashed in order to create a seemingly perfect world, standing apart from the majority is frowned upon and regarded as a threat against society. Firemen no longer put out fires and save lives in this world, but instead destroy and burn all books, along with the houses in which they are hidden. If a person breaks the social contract by reading books, asking questions, or doing anything other than watching the “parlors” or listening to the “seashells”, that person could be arrested or killed in order to protect the integrity of the system. Individuality is viewed as rebelling against the conformity set by the government and is punished severely. This novel uses the juxtaposition of characters like Clarisse and Montag, who represent free thought and self-expression, and those who have completely succumbed to their environment, like Beatty and Mildred, to highlight the contrast between danger of conformity and the significance of individuality.

When living in a world that requires you to conform to the ideal way of living, it may be hard to embrace one’s individuality. In Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, the society conforms to a hedonistic way of living, where knowledge is censored and individualism is opposed, yet entertainment and pleasure are considered the norm. Books in their society represent individualism, and when they’re burned, it shows the lack of freedom of thought and as a result, a lack of individuality. Despite being raised in said society, Guy Montag, the protagonist of the novel, gets a glimpse of reality and soon starts to question the way of living, and as a result finds his own individuality. Because of the societies lack of knowledge from books,

Juan Ramon Jimenez once said, “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way”. This quote shows the challenge of authority, like Montag and his society. Just like challenging the normal, or doing the opposite of what seems to be right by “writing the other way” on a lined piece of paper, Montag chooses to challenge authority by reading, remembering, and comprehending books, instead of burning them. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury takes place in a dystopian society in the twenty-fourth century and the main character is Guy Montag. He is a fireman whose job is to burn books and start fires instead of putting them out. Moreover, he lives in a society which just listens to government propaganda and follows whatever they are told; the citizens do not think deeply about aspects in life but rather focus on mind-numbing activities, that does not take any deep thought process. Books are banned but Montag takes the risk to start to read books, hoping they will bring him happiness in the dark world he lives in. In his journey he has three mentors who help him, Clarisse, Faber, and Granger. The protagonist, Guy Montag, changes as a result of the conflict within his dystopian society and this change connects to the novel’s theme of government censorship over its citizens.

For example, Feneja (2012) and Kademir (2014) explore the development of the main character, Montage. His development shows the self-realization that makes him gain the identity. Meanwhile, the self-awareness reflects the manipulation of the government. These are an obstacle of Montage’s life. The montage would like to understand his life and get out of the uncomfortable society. Beatty as a state representative, who often convinces Montag to believe the knowledge and books are bad things, they are harmful to peace as it makes people feel unhappy. This situation makes Montage confuse and trouble with his thought, and it also makes Montag accept with authoritarian power. Moreover, when the government knows Montage become an opponent, they use violence to eliminate him. Montage has to struggle against many bad situations. Which show the power of government is a powerful destructive device. Using violence to eliminate the Bookman or Montage led to violence society. People will accept with strong punishment and they will love to involve trouble by violence. Throughout Fahrenheit 451, Montag’s wife disagrees with her husband’s behavior; Montag read books. And then she reports to government, which led to his trouble time. Mildred character reflects the society, who was completely manipulated by authoritarianism. This points out that the government manipulation influences both society and

Fahrenheit 451 is a novel based on a character amed Montag and the life he lives. Throughout the novel his belief will be challenged and he will begin to see the world he and the other characters live in differently. Overtime the man who he was will not be the man he becomes. His beliefs, the characters who have influenced him, and the ways that Montag changes will all be discussed in this essay.

The book Fahrenheit 451 is set in a dystopian, authoritarian world. The main character, Guy Montag, joins a movement for books when he begins to go against his society’s and government’s regulations. It is a book about censorship, individualism, and mass media.

Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451, expresses his perspective on life in an interview. His interview contains a common theme: "Do what you love, and love what you do" (Bradbury). Bradbury sends a message in his interview that people should love life, and live to the fullest because he believes life is a beautiful thing. Although Bradbury no longer can demonstrate his love for life his message still lives in the pages of Fahrenheit 451. The Government of the society in the novel has told their citizens that thinking is as useless as a broken power tool. The citizens are told that books are meaningless, and have no value to anything except those who want to create chaos. The Government replaced all the meaningful things in society with seashells that can play music and television sets fit to fill a wall. For some, the TV 's have become so important that they replace family interaction. The Government has corrupted society. The protagonist, Guy Montag 's profession is to burn books, but he does not know that the government requires him to do this in order for them to restrict knowledge. Clarisse, Montag 's neighbor, lives in a home where socializing and thinking are essential. On the contrary, these elements are highly unusual in society. Montag has always been curious, but Clarisse sets Montag on a journey that involves being rebellious, curious, and persistent by asking him a strange question. These characteristics set Montag apart from society. Montag has been

The government’s role and control of the flow of knowledge and memory only benefits themselves. It can be seen that the government controls the withdrawal of knowledge and memory through the firemen in this society who work for the government. A scene where we can see that society is controlling and limiting the flow of knowledge and memory is when Beatty is talking to Montag inside Montag’s house when Montag is sick, “Don’t give them any slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy” (Bradbury 58). Beatty is the fire chief in this society, so he is somewhat connected to the government because he works for them; he says to Montag that the government doesn’t give the citizens things such as philosophy

1984 and Fahrenheit 451 are both novels telling us of a possible scenario for the development of the world with no place for a sense of personal identity. This world is filled with dystopia, decadence, crisis of morality, loneliness. The main characters in both books are men with their own fears, suspicions and temptations. Each of them has a woman who stimulate their conflict of interest. Their professional duties oblige them to support ruling elites and fight against human rights. While Guy Montag, after a conversation with Clarisse, suddenly feels the need for spirituality, and finds its expression in books, Winston is so burdened by the pressure of the system, so constrained that the formula 2 + 2 = 4 becomes a desired but inaccessible dream and a certain symbol of freedom.

Imagine being restricted to do things you like. Imagine not being able to read a book or facing death if caught reading one. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury explores the idea of books being illegal and how they affect society. The theme in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is that ignorance and knowledge as individual concepts will always go up against each other but knowledge will always win. In the novel knowledge and ignorance are presented through different people. These people influence Guy Montag into the person he becomes in the end. The first person introduced is Clarisse McClellan. She is Guy’s new neighbour. Although she is young she is the first knowledgeable person in this society to change Guy’s perception of life. The second person who influences Guy is his wife, Mildred.

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, the author Ray Bradbury portrays what life would be like in a so-called “utopian” society that strives for perfection. He reveals how a completely utopian society is actually unachievable, for life in that society would be totally empty and meaningless. Although Bradbury understands that everyone will seek excellence and superiority, he undoubtedly wants us to accept that the world is filled with imperfections and it is impractical for anyone to have an ideal life. Since this is the case, one of the most important points that Bradbury aims to emphasize to his audience is that they should never completely comply with society’s values, but be unique and hold their own feelings and beliefs. In Fahrenheit 451, this lesson is demonstrated by exploring the theme of conformity versus individuality which is shown through the appearance and characterization of multiple different characters. Because Bradbury compares these two themes side by side through the of characterization Mildred and her friends, Clarisse, and the other citizens, these ideas must be thoroughly explored and understood in the novel. While he knows that changing people from who they are may be tough, Bradbury is counting on the fact that by presenting the consequences of conformity, the reader will be able to realize this truth for themselves.

To begin, rebelling against oppressive rule has allowed Montag to escape their rulers brainwashing and free their minds from the corruptive manipulation put in place by ruling powers. Author of Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury goes on to explain, “If you don’t want a man unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one.

When reading 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, you start to see a common element between these two novels, this element is censorship by the government. What is censorship? Censorship is the suppression of a publication of any media considered offensive or a threat to security. Both of these novels showed censorship elements in their passage by using technology and manipulation on their society to push their agenda. For instance, in 1984 their government was a totalitarian government that was run by the Inner party, which regulated the people of Oceania through language and monitoring their thoughts. In Fahrenheit 451 it has the same element of censorship by the government. The government censors the people of Fahrenheit 451 by using the firemen as an enforcement censorship by burning down homes that contain books. The common element of censorship between these two novels showed the controlling grip the government had on their societies by asserting their power of fear through censorship

In Fahrenheit 451’s dystopian society, the possession of books is considered criminal. A once proud fireman who regularly burned books turned a new leaf and began to understand and value the importance of literature. Multiple characters in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 impact the ex-firemans, Montag, life in a way that changed him forever. Throughout the novel Montag discovers a different outlook and perspective on the society in which he lives and how he perceives books. From a fireman to an outlaw, a few specific characters greatly impact Montag. Montag meets a young woman who perceives the world in a different way which affects Montag’s outlook on society. Also, a retired English professor gave Montag confidence and the comprehension of books. A character close to Montag, his wife, shows him how the loss of importance of books would affect his life . When Montag goes outside, he comes across a young woman who does not seem like the others in the city. Montag begins to talk to her and his life changes in a major way.