Examples Of Control In Fahrenheit 451

The dystopian American society presented in Fahrenheit 451 has an omnipotent government that inhibits the people through censorship and surveillance. When the book was written in the 1950s, spies, nuclear weapons, and new technology had just arouse from the Cold War and gave Americans an ominous and pessimistic perspective on their future. Throughout the opening pages, the government's absolute power allows them to manipulate reality and regulate the life of the populace. This adversely affects the life of the citizens and restricts their ability to think freely and be cognizant of the authoritative regime.

Montag burns his house, and with it, his entire life. He wants to start over completely, forgetting about his past, where he had hated and destroyed books. He doesn’t “face [his] problem[s], [he just] burn[s] [them]” (115). He burns his house, which is filled with memories of his loveless marriage. He burns Captain Beatty, who had taunted him and told him that books were horrible. He burns the mechanical hound and the salamander, which had aided him in the horrible deeds he had commited.

The governmental control of the society in Fahrenheit 451 is unbelievable; it's unbelievable to think that the government could have so much control. The government has so much control due to the loss of individuality caused by conformity. According to the author, "They all say the same things and nobody says anything different from anyone else" (Bradbury 31). This was done in several ways; some of the ways were through the lack of books, education (or what we believe education to be), and the lack of teachers. The influence (pure control) of the government over the media, education, and any literature that was available to the public. The media and entertainment is controlled by the government to the point that its citizens have better relationships with media personalities than with their own families. The government grasped the rights of education by not educating and allowing its students to run a muck. According to the author, "Clarisse - I'm afraid of children my own age. They kill each other" (Bradbury

“It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 3). Towards the beginning of the novel it is noticeable that fire is praised by the protagonist and those who choose to conform to society’s rules. In this quote in particular, fire is being used as a tool against literature.

In the novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the society that is currently present is in a very difficult state. They do not know how to handle themselves and they are self-dependent on what the government has to offer. In addition, the people in this society are not able to communicate with others and as a result they have become self-reliant on technology. This makes them unable to think and get ideas because the government does not allow it. Ultimately, they are faced with the increasing power of the government and its ability to take advantage of this society. The three major issues in the novel are that their society relies on the government for their decisions, they use technology an overwhelming amount, and they did not have the option

On page 7 Bradbury writes “But I know something else you don’t. There’s dew on the grass in the morning.” He suddenly couldn’t remember if he had known this or not, and it made him quite irritable. “And if you look”---she nodded at the sky---”there’s a man in the moon” (Bradburry 7). He hadn’t looked for a long time.” Montag has been brainwashed by the government to think that TV and electronics are everything. This makes Montag start to understand what has been forgotten in life. He is starting to understand that he doesn’t want to do what the government is making him do. Later in the novel Montag gets stuck in predicament. Page 48 notes, “You weren’t there, you didn’t see,” he said. “There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a women stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing” (Bradburry 48). Montag is forced to kill the innocent women because she is in possession of the books. He is starting to have rebellious thoughts. When Montag finally starts understanding that the government is being unlawful, he acts on the situation. On page 115, Bradbury types, “You always said, don’t face a problem, burn it. Well, now I’ve done both. Goodbye, Captain. And he stumbled along the alley in the dark” (Bradburry 115). Beatty and the government have been forcing Montag to burn books, houses, even people to show power. But Montag realizes it

Montag soon begins to enter the bonfire stage. Clarisse, is an observant, curious, open-minded and unique 17 year old girl. Montag, after meeting a couple times with Clarisse, is when his eyes truly open that his society is full of fake realities. He becomes observant and starts asking questions about his society. While being with Clarisse, Montag would smell the leaves and notice the small details; therefore, he was having a shift from being a prisoner to going up to the bonfire. On page #48 it says, “ You’re not sick,” said Mildred. Montag fell back in bed. He reached under the pillow. The hidden book was still there. “Mildred, how would it be if, well, maybe I quit my job awhile?” “You want to give up everything? After all these years of working, because, one night, some woman and her books-” “You should have seen her, Millie!”…. “You weren’t there, you didn’t see ,” he said. “ There must be something in the books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.” This is the event that changed Montags viewpoint on books

In Montag 's case, he understands that he is unhappy with the way he is living, and he begins to rethink his ways of destruction. In like manner, a literary criticist, Rafeeq McGiveron, gives a good analysis of the character of Montag when he says that Montag has a “blithely clear and pathetically blank conscience” towards burning books until he relives his childhood through walks with Clarisse (p.6). Clearly, Clarisse tugged and Montag 's heart and helped him understand the heartlessness of burning books. Most definitely, it was Montag 's hand and not his brain or mind that was the true monster. In another example, the reader sees Montag 's private life during a conversation between he and Mildred, his wife, when she says, “when can we have a fourth wall television put in? It 's only two thousand dollars” and Montag responds by saying that two thousand dollars is one-third of his yearly pay (Bradbury 33). The example presented adds more depth to the grim life of the main character because Montag is married to a woman that is selfish and has no interest for any part of Montag 's life. Similarly, because Montag is faced with unhappiness in both his professional and private life, he is quick to accept the words of Clarisse that there is a better and brighter life possible for him. Overall, Bradbury successfully acomplishes a sense of sympathy for Guy Montag by revealing the

Firstly, Montag faces the conflict of having to burn down a house with a woman in it, which led him to thinking that something important may be hidden within the books that could be different from what he has learning in this new version of society; Montag becomes more curious through this event and starts to wonder. Eventually, the protagonist is so deeply engrossed in his curiosity that “his hand closed like a mouth, crushed the book with wild devotion, with an insanity of mindlessness to his chest” (Bradbury 34). This quote illustrates

Montag at the beginning of the book is a person that you could love and hate. Montag was a person who loved his job as a firefighter. To Montag he got pleasure out of burning the books. One of Montag's favorite things from burning the books was he would put a marshmallow and put it on a stick and roast it.When Montag's done and goes home he goes to bed with a smile on his face. Then everything changes once he meets Clarisse.

Montag is someone who is shy and keeps his thoughts to himself, but thinks many things. He shows that he is distracted instead of being happy throughout the book. At the time, he was walking home from work and was looking at Clarisse. Clarisse is a girl who would roam the streets and was also Montag's neighbor. She walks over to Guy and they start to have a conversation while walking to their houses. They discussing if talking about to see if Montag is really happy or if he was lying. She keeps questioning him. Bradbury explains “He was not happy. He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as true state affairs. He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run across the lawn with the mask and the way

Book-burning is the first thing that is explained about this future based society of Fahrenheit 451. Burning books is the obliteration of the single thought on paper or in one word- censorship. Books are considered evil because they make people question and think. All intellectual curiosity and thirst for knowledge must be quelled for the good of the state — for the good of conformity. Without ideas, everyone conforms, and as a result, everyone should be happy. When books and new ideas are available to people, conflict and unhappiness occur. Some of the many different motifs in the novel Fahrenheit 451 are conveyed through the use of various sardonic lines and connotations planted throughout the book. On the matter of technology and modernization it explains how TV reigns supreme in the future because of the "happiness" it offers. People are content when they don’t have to think, or so the story goes. TV aside, technology is the government’s means of oppression, but also provides the renegade’s opportunity to subvert. Rules and order is another popular topic written into the book. It is stated that “All books can be beaten down with reason.” This was said by Captain Betty, a quote ironically coming from a book itself. Much of the restrictions on the general populous are self-enforced. The government has taken away the citizens’ ability to dissent and marred all dissatisfaction with a cheap version of "happiness," a.k.a. TV. This means

Montag was disengaged from himself and the world. During the intro of the book Bradbury exemplifies this when he writes, “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists. with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and

No apparent conflict with Montag and his cultural upbringing was introduced in the opening of the novel. Montag lives in a futuristic society so advanced that all houses are fireproof and house fires are not an issue. Montag laughed as his inquisitive neighbor, Clarisse, began telling him that she once heard that a long time ago "they needed fireman to stop the flames" (6). The reader knows it to be true that firefighters did, in fact, stop fires. Along the line of advancement in society, firefighters were in need of a new purpose, so they were given what was seen as one of the highest honors. They were to protect their society from nihilism and free-thinking; to burn all books, manuscripts and written information. Not knowing what a book is or the reason anyone would value one, gave the protagonist the illusion that he was only doing what was best for his society. In chapter 1 Bradbury announces that "It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed"(1). Towards the beginning of the novel Montag favored his job as a firefighter above all else; he loved to burn things. Books and their

Montag is now at the point where his views are being tested and new beliefs of life are being created. “Montag had done nothing. His hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief” (35). Here Montag sees a plethora of books inside of Mrs. Blake’s house and seemingly of its own accord Montag’s hand takes a book. He has now broken a rule that everyone in Montag’s society knows, never to take or read books. Mrs. Blakes, instead of coming with the firemen out of the house decides to burn with the books. This confuses Montag and piques his curiosity to figure out what inside the book could drive someone to die with