Conformity And Individuality In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Individuality is feared because it is seen as a threat in a society expects all citizens to conform. Individuality is when a particular person is aware of what is happening around them, while conformity is when a person’s behavior is in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards. In the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, characters in the book show the relationship between conformity and individuality because those who conform, follow society’s rules while individuals still conform in a way, but retain their individuality by showing that they are physically and mentally mindful of their actions.

Within the novels Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, and 1984 the authors depict what they imagine the future will be like. Society today is corrupted by advanced technology, plagued by censorship, and intimate communication has been shattered. Although each novel has something comparable to today’s society, Bradbury’s depiction of society in Fahrenheit 451 is very comparable to America today.

If you are in a room where everyone else has something in common except for you, what do you do? Maybe pretend to share their ideas. Maybe leave the room. But generally there are very few who would face the negative attention that is created by situations such as this. No one ever wants to be the ‘odd man out.’ Yet, without controversy how can people grow to have established morals and motivation in life? This is exactly what Ray Bradbury was trying to explain in his novel, Fahrenheit 451. His main character, Guy Montag, starts as a government pawn, a fireman who had the job of burning books. He blends in to society until one day he meets a young girl, who for the first time in his life makes him ask ‘why.’ Through his struggle of finding

“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.

Conformity is when one complies with rules or regulations, typically relating to social norms or expectations. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Montag lives in a society where people value conformity and obedience to the government. In this society, the government uses censorship and installs strict social regulations on its population to control them to act the same, behave the same, and think the same. Citizens are a part of a population seemingly brainwashed by the oppressive government that controls their daily lives. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury portrays how outside forces can influence the thoughts and moral traits of the characters. In the beginning, Montag acted as everyone else did in his society, conforming to the government

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.

“With rebellion, awareness is born,” quoted by Albert Camus. An act of rebellion can cause awareness and open people's eyes to horrendous acts. In the book Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury, when Montag realizes that the government wasn’t being fair, he decided he needed to make the society aware. Montag knew a rebellion was the only way to show that the government was not treating citizens right. It is acceptable to rebel when it is believed that the government is being unfair to their citizens because citizens should have the right to freely speak their opinions. People shouldn’t be told what they can or can’t-do for pleasure and they should be able to express their uniqueness.

People like to believe that the idea of conformity versus individuality is as clear as black and white. It is either side with society and conform or retain individuality and go against the norms. When it comes down to it, individuality and conformity are not foreign concepts. We see the idea executed in everyday life. In his novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury reveals that individuality and conformity is not strictly two sides, but rather, a spectrum with many views in between. Bradbury expands on the theme of conformity versus individuality in society through his characters Guy Montag, Clarisse McClellan, and Captain Beatty.

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 features a fictional and futuristic firefighter named Guy Montag. As a firefighter, Montag does not put out fires. Instead, he starts them in order to burn books and, basically, knowledge to the human race. He does not have any second thoughts about his responsibility until he meets seventeen-year-old Clarisse McClellan. She reveals many wonders of the world to Montag and causes him to rethink what he is doing in burning books. After his talks with her, the society’s obedience to the law that bans knowledge, thinking, and creativity also increasingly distresses him. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury shows conformity in the futuristic America through schooling, leisure, and fright.

Some people were really passionate about books, but it was rare, because if you wanted to be able to read books, you had to keep them hidden. One day, the firefighters discovered a woman who had been hiding books in her home. The lady refuses to leave the house without the books so they burn the house, books, and the woman. After that, Montag was traumatized. He couldn’t stop thinking about the horrible incident. He began to question himself, and his individuality. That night Montag kept complaining to his wife Mildred, “‘There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay

Fahrenheit 451 is one of the hundreds of books that contains multiple instances of social commentary. In the novel, Ray Bradbury critiques the citizens as well as their home society, which refer to the censorship the government imposes on the society. Notwithstanding the possible effects, the citizens’ minds drastically change due to the amount of brainwashing they received throughout the years to destroy all of their community’s past. Initially, we can see this when we read that the firemen are completely different than what we know today in comparison to what they formerly were. Firemen now burn houses that carried traces of books on fire to substitute the old style of extinguishing already lit fires. Little do they know that what they’re doing has a lasting impact on the people of their communities.. We see this when Montag ultimately realizes why they burn the books after talking to Clarisse McClellan, the young, perfect-looking woman that Montag finds waiting outside of the fire station one night. Montag couldn’t let anyone know what he was thinking or doing unless he wanted his life to brutally come to an end. Bradbury grew up during the times of censorship as well as the technological advancements. With these changes, a lot of the people worried about the lives of their people, Bradbury consisting of this population of people. He wrote this Novel to demonstrate what life would be like if these changes grew out of hand. During the time Bradbury wrote the book,

The analysis of Ray Bradbury 's dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, shows that literature as books, education and alike is abused and criminalized in the hero’s reality, who is Guy Montag. The novel’s setting is when new things seem to have totally replaced literature, fire fighters set flames instead of putting them out, the ownership of books is deserving of the law and to restrict the standard is to court demise. The oppression of literature through innovation and technology can be analyzed through various research from others, which can be connected to Fahrenheit 451, a novel that foretells an extremely exhibit struggle in our advanced society, and in addition recognize the presence of the conflict in the year when the book was published, 1951. Four diverse basic theories identify with the contention in Bradbury 's dystopian society. The first is ‘Knowledge versus Ignorance’, another is ‘Technology versus Reading ' by MIT innovation Review - "A perspective from Mara E. Vats.", next is the 'Sorts of Conflict in Literature ' by Katherine Docimo and the last is ‘technology supplanting books in education. ' These four hypotheses precisely mediate with each other yet vary to stress the conflict between Technology and Literature.

Individuality is defined as the “quality or character of a particular person or thing that distinguishes them from others of the same kind, especially when strongly marked.” Individuality is the one thing in the world that can set you apart from your neighbor. It defines who you are. No matter if it is by your looks, personality, or other characteristics. We are all different. We are all set apart from one another in varying ways, but what if there was no individuality? That everyone was the same. We all had the same thoughts, the same ideas, and the same looks. This was the common theme that was incorporated into Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. People were stripped of their individuality and forced to conform. Many people accept the change

Conformity, one of the main factors preventing individuality in Fahrenheit 451. Strict rules can be useful at times, but they never allow for people to express themselves. In some cases, people are not even allowed to have opinions. This can prevent conflict, but it can also create people who know nothing. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, conformity prevents free thought, eventful existence, and individuality.

In 1953, American author and screenwriter, Ray Bradbury, in his novel, Fahrenheit 451, utilizes a dramatic and depressing tone alerting the effects of social issues in a dystopian society, such as order and identity in the world. During the 1950's new technological advances were being created that helped alter the world such as the first ever commercial computer or television. Bradbury's purpose in this novel was to prevent what was to come in the future with the minds of human minds be consumed by new toys and gadgets. With this book Bradbury wanted to change his audience's perspective on the way they perceive books and the social outcome it can have. He implements many Biblical allusions, paradoxes, and imagery to help develop his major themes that factor what is happening in society.