Theme Of Ignorance In Fahrenheit 451

Everyone has a different definition of what knowledge might specifically be, but it is agreed by everyone that knowledge and ignorance contradict each other in every way imaginable. Ignorance is often caused by one’s close mindedness, as it allows one to be falsely content. And on the other hand, knowledge and receptiveness allows one to find true happiness and satisfaction throughout one’s life. This concept is largely seen in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Ignorance allows Montag to be falsely content, and as he obtains knowledge about literature, he starts to find satisfaction in his life. This is shown through Clarisse’s positive influence towards Montag, Beatty’s ignorant views towards the society and individuals, and Montag’s reflection

Is ignorance bliss? The quote “Where ignorance is bliss, tis’ folly to be wise”, from Thomas Gray’s poem “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College”, accurately encompasses one of the themes of Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451. The quote indicates the joy of lacking knowledge and the foolishness of knowing. But what are the true consequences of ignorance? Fahrenheit 451 portrays a world of complete ignorance and seemingly perfect happiness. Still, the characters of the book are faced with the taxing question of whether they are truly happy. The culture, characters, and theme in Fahrenheit 451 construct a fascinating dystopian novel that serves as a warning to future readers.

“Knowledge is power”; at least, that is what one is told as a kid, but in reality, the way one applies their knowledge is what is really powerful. In Ray Bradbury’s award-winning novel Fahrenheit 451, firefighters burn books rather than take out fires in a dystopian American city; in the end, Guy Montag, a firefighter, goes against his profession and tries to read and preserve books. Montag meets book-loving and peculiar characters, inanimate objects, and also sees death with his own eyes which leads him on his quest for knowledge. In his novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses book-loving and peculiar characters, inanimate objects, and the death of characters to convey the idea that dying is better than living if in life one is prevented from gaining knowledge. Through characters, inanimate objects, and many deaths, Montag realizes that there is no point in living if one does not have access to

Bradbury also serves to warn us of the danger of ignorance in this futuristic dystopia. This again is reflective of the Nazi book burnings and the idea of people leaving behind knowledge and becoming ‘blissfully’ ignorant of the past. In Fahrenheit 451 the fireman's responsibility is to destroy knowledge and promote ignorance in order to ensure equality. Ignorance, however, promotes suicide, poor decisions, and empty lives. When Beatty discovers Montag's hidden collection of books, he explains that all firemen become curious of books, and may have time to explore them for a short time before disposing of them. He then tells Montag about the state of the world: people are made

In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray bradbury, Bradbury shows that behind the destructive fire and the burning of books, citizens believe that the key to happiness is ignorance. In the story, the citizens of the dystopia don’t question what is hidden from them, but the main character of the story ponders what he is told and discovers truth and happiness through the knowledge gained from reading stolen books.

In regards to why Mildred did not know or acknowledge the disconnect between her and Montag, the most influential one is her reliance to technology. An example of Mildred’s dependency to technology is the quote “And in her ears the little Seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight, and an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talk coming in, coming in on the shore of her unsleeping mind. The room was indeed empty. Every night the waves came in and bore her off on their great tides of sound, floating her, wide-eyed, toward morning. There had been no night in the last two years that Mildred had not swum that sea, had not gladly gone down in it for the third time.”

Of all literary works regarding dystopian societies, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is perhaps one of the most bluntly shocking, insightful, and relatable of them. Set in a United States of the future, this novel contains a government that has banned books and a society that constantly watches television. However, Guy Montag, a fireman (one who burns books as opposed to actually putting out fires) discovers books and a spark of desire for knowledge is ignited within him. Unfortunately his boss, the belligerent Captain Beatty, catches on to his newfound thirst for literature. A man of great duplicity, Beatty sets up Montag to ultimately have his home destroyed and to be expulsed from the city. On the other hand, Beatty is a much rounder

Knowledge is the driving force behind any society. Without knowledge, a society is bound to become corrupt and nonfunctioning. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of a firefighter named Montag. In this futuristic and utopian society, firefighters do not put out fires, they start them. The job of a firefighter is to find and burn books, which have been banned by the government. Montag goes along with the firefighter lifestyle until he meets a young girl named Clarisse. She causes him to start wondering about books, and Montag decides to grab one from a woman's house before it is burned down. Montag reads it and realizes how important books are to humanity. He knows that what firefighters are doing is wrong, and sets out to change it. Bradbury uses this story to portray a corrupt society that he believes will come of the real world, and some of his ideas have already come true.

Knowledge is power. A power that gives the people their right to have influence in society. Imagine a world where this power was taken away. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, a fireman named Guy Montag lives in a society some time in the future where a fireman’s job is to burn all books in order to prevent people from trying to revolt against the government with knowledge, and the books are replaced by mindless technology. Montag is originally one of the majority of people who is brainwashed and conforms to this society. After meeting an unusual teenager named Clarisse who introduces him to books, Montag starts to wonder what books are really like. As he begins reading literature, Montag breaks away from the others and becomes one of these non-conformists himself, speaking out against the corrupt society. Many key aspects of the society set up by Bradbury show how technology has destroyed this fictional society and causes readers to notice similarities in today’s real society.

Mildred is Guy’s wife which loves to watch TV and hates to express herself. She tried to commit suicide and can't even acknowledge it. Montag says, “‘You took all the pills in your bottle last night.’ Mildred responds quickly “Oh I wouldn't do that’”(19). Masking your pain will get you far away from happiness. You need to acknowledge and change for the better. Since Mildred never wanted to talk about her relationship with Guy. This makes Guy angry and can not clear his mind about something they do not talk about as well as Mildred, senselessly that is a part of her pain. It will not go away till she confronts it. Guy says, “No one listens anymore. I can't talk to the walls because they’re yelling at me. I just need someone to hear what I have to say, it’ll make sense. I just want to learn how to read”(14). This goes to show that he has been distracted by the fact that she is obviously miserable and is crying out for help with her attempt of suicide. Montag is realising that the books might make him closer to his happiness.

Furthermore, knowledge versus ignorance plays a role in Fahrenheit 451. The reason behind it is there is so much importance in technology than literature itself, society ignores the word. Most children grow up engaged in the TV, rather than reading and developing their minds efficiently. Bradbury expands on this topic by Guy Montag stating “School is shortened, discipline relaxed, philosophies, histories, languages dropped, English and spelling gradually, gradually neglected” (53). Bradbury is trying to explain how children will grow up with a smaller English vocabulary and a lack of word choice without literature. David T Wright, an American writer, has his own thoughts on knowledge versus ignorance. Wright touches on this topic by saying that without reading, most of Montag’s society will lack mental exercise for the brain to retain information; resulting in memory loss (104). Continuing with Wright’s thoughts, he claims that not only do people completely forget that firemen are supposed to put out fires, but also neither Guy nor Mildred remember how they met (104). Rodney Smolla had a similar view, he stated “Bradbury seems to be insisting that while it may be possible to incinerate a book, killing the book will not kill its ideas” (110). Expanding of Smolla’s thought, getting rid of books will not change the words and its purpose will

Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 presents readers with multiple themes. In the fictional society of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, books are banned and firemen create fires instead of putting them out. Bradbury portrays the society as dystopian. Bradbury crafted the novel to be interpreted intellectually. The characters claim to be happy. However, the reader can conclude otherwise. Bradbury creates a question for the reader to answer: Is ignorance bliss or does the ability to think for oneself create happiness? Bradbury shows the importance of self-reflection, happiness and the ability to think for oneself as well as isolation due to technology, and the importance of nature and animals. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury conveys the stories’ themes through characterization and symbols.

“There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches”. This quote was put into words by the great author, Ray Bradbury, explaining his point of view that books are useless and could be burned in many ways, and lack of knowledge should occur. Fahrenheit 451 is one of Bradbury’s famous dystopian fictional novels that were published in 1953, which showed lack of knowledge as one of its concepts. Lack of knowledge exists throughout the novel because firemen burned books, people of the society had no time to think, and the society relied on technology more than anything else.

“Well, wasn’t there a wall between him and Mildred, when you came down to it?” (Pg. 44) This quote indicates that Montag has a poor relationship with Mildred. Mildred is unfaithful to Montag and gives him a lack of attention. Because of this lack of attention, Montag would show no emotion or cry if his wife passed away. Also, when Montag was conversing with Mildred about Clarisse’s death, Mildred had knowledge of it. Clarisse was hit by a car, but Mildred forgot her death and only told Montag when she remembered it. This emphasizes that Mildred was absorbed in her TV shows and was only thinking about herself and what was occurring in her fantasy

We as humans tend to have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. We look for knowledge about everybody and everything that surrounds us from our day-to-day life. Sadly though, we must accept that in the grand scheme of life we (as a society) tend to put pleasure above our quest for knowledge. The pursuit of knowledge tends to take time and energy, two things we call invaluable, and it also shows us things that might depress us. Contrastingly, ignorance takes no time and energy. Also, (as the common saying goes) ignorance is bliss. It keeps ugly truths away from us. But that is no reason to forsake knowledge for ignorance. In the early 1900’s, two books were published that would eventually be referred to the pinnacle of classical literature. The Great Gatsby and Fahrenheit 451 both stand out as stunning literary works. But their success is not the only thing they share. Though they are very dissimilar in setting as well as genre, the two books have the same theme. The theme is the universal message the book is trying to inform the readers about. Fitzgerald and Bradbury both convey the theme of the pursuit of knowledge versus the pleasure of ignorance in The Great Gatsby and Fahrenheit 451.