Fahrenheit 451 Identity Analysis

“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.

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 brainwashed up until the point where he meets Clarisse and then his new curiosity blossoms. Clarisse sparks a new flame in Montag and it makes him question everything he has been doing throughout his life as a fireman.

Everybody has gone through something that has shaped changed them in a way that they could never go back to the person they were. In life, pain and suffering changes people and often causes one to restructure their life. As well, suffering can either define an individual or to allow for spiritual growth. This is especially true in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, as even though both Mildred and Clarisse differ in their perceptions toward life and their effect on Montag, both must eventually suffer the reality of a society consumed by insensitivity to push along Montag’s journey. All in all, one will view that it was necessary for both Clarisse and Mildred to experience death to allow for Montag’s journey to come to full circle.

Before meeting Clarisse, Montag was a strong adherent of the societal function of book burning. He was rather oblivious to the ignorant and critically dull society he lived in. His meeting with Clarisse was the beginning of his Metamorphosis into a critically aware and enlightened individual, one who could see the errors of society in forming a bubble around them. This “bubble” forming that Clarisse leads Montag away from is a serious issue, and even affects our real modern day world.

Bradbury characterizes Mildred as technology-dependent to show that she needs technology to release stress and uses it to replace her own family. Montag comes home after a long day of burning books, which is very common in this dystopian society. . He feels sick because he has illegally taken a book, and he lays in bed, but is unable to rest because of the television

“Fahrenheit 415” is a novel centred on the censorship of literature and art and what impact television and forms of media have on the appreciation of literature and social stimulation. The TV Parlours are what the government have used to not have people think for themselves the only aspect of social stimulation left was the artificial kind created through the panels on the walls where a person could only vocally interact. Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit not long after the Second World War where a common way of initiating fear was to publically burn books because a lot of people lived by what they had learnt in books and found great pleasure in reading. By censoring out all forms of literature the Government eliminates all possible ways of gaining

Ray Bradbury illustrated Mildred, Montag’s wife, as an empty shell, throughout Fahrenheit 451. For example, Mildred’s emptiness is conveyed, to the reader, when she overdoses on sleeping pills. This automatically tells the audience that there is something wrong and abnormal with Mildred, especially when she refers to the parlor as her “family.” This character trait of Mildred is notable because it makes Montag, want to aspire and become something more than a hollow body, such as his

In a similar way, when Mildred is first introduced in the book she is not an ordinary character. She is having a drug overdose when readers first meet her, and then the next morning she is acting as if nothing happened. In the book, Bradbury says, “Mildred kicked at a book, “Books aren’t people. You read and I look around, but there isn’t anybody” (117). This quote shows how Mildred embodies the futuristic society because she has no appreciation for books.

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.

At the start of the novel, Montag valued his job and rules. As a fireman, he burns houses with books in them to ensure “happiness” in society. In school, citizens are educated about TV shows versus traditional subjects like math. They live their lives in an age of constant streaming with no time to your own thinking. This is because with thinking comes thoughts, and with thoughts comes discontent. The entire country is taught to not think.. In the beginning, Montag takes great pride in being a fireman, he thinks it is an honor to be the keeper

Everything in Mildred’s life is censored and it is carrying a bad effect on her. As a reader, you may think Mildred’s life is boring. Mildred seems to enjoy watching the parlour walls, and meeting with her girlfriends. Mildred falls victim to the censorship making her selfish and narrow minded. She says, “Why should I read? What for?”(Bradbury, 73). Here Mildred clearly shows the effects of censorship and she does not even consider listening to Montag because of the growing fear of her house burning down because of Montag’s books.

Montag is a character that changes from being conformed to unconformed. He used to be a fireman and even thought, “It was a pleasure to burn” (p1). Montag began the novel being conformed, like the rest of the world.. He thought the same, acted the same, and looked the same. Montag, being like everyone else, was oblivious to everything that was happening in

Guy Montag is your typical headstrong character that is the hero or protagonist that never loses sight of what he is after. Through people portraying the man he wishes he was and characters setting him back, Montag fights his way through a foggy dystopian society in which has him playing the role of a fireman who starts the fires. Throughout Fahrenheit 451, Montag proves to be a character of change and a character of sheer willpower. Montag first starts out as the character that shows to be a follower and a victim to a society that has only the most powerful individuals do the thinking for the entire world.

Questioning One’s Feelings: Risking One’s Life for Change Over the course of history, humans have been a species that have effectively evolved and adapted to change. Often this change was the result of human intellect and thinking.