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Fahrenheit 451

Good Essays

Bethany Edwards
Censorship or Knowledge
Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451 is a good example of censorship and restriction and the results of what can happen because of this. Ray Bradbury predicts in his novel that the future is without literature -- everything from newspapers to novels to the Bible. This novel is about a world that is so structured and censored that even a common fireman exist not to fight fires, for all buildings are fireproof, but instead to burn books. Books are made to be thought of as evil and anyone caught with books hidden in their home is forced out of it while the firemen force their way in and turn the house into an inferno. Fahrenheit 451 is a horrific account of what could happen in an all too close …show more content…

I dared speak to no one. That day in the park when we sat together, I knew that someday you might drop by, with fire or friendship, it was hard to guess…” (Bradbury 90). Faber manipulates Montag via his two-way radio to accomplish the things his cowardice has prevented him from doing himself. During a conversation between Montag and Faber, Montag states, "That 's the good part of dying; when you 've nothing to lose, you run any risk you want" (Bradbury 85). Montag’s relationship with Faber gave him the courage and desire to open his mind and question that maybe what he has always just accepted was wrong.
Montag’s boss, Captain Beatty is probably the key character that pushes Montag to change. Beatty is obviously intelligent, well-versed in literature, but also completely devoted to the act of book-burning and the structure that supports it. His intimate knowledge of literature indicates that he was once a free-thinking, intelligent, skeptical man of the sort that Montag is developing into. Beatty was apparently unwilling or unable to deal with the confusion and potentially painful thought that came with the conflicting ideas offered by books. In response to this frustration, he turned towards destroying the object of his mental conflict instead of facing its implications. Beatty senses that Montag is beginning to rebel and he hassles him at every opportunity. He uses his knowledge of books to try and confuse Montag. Beatty tells Montag,

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