Analysis Of Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury

This study examines the issue of freedom of information in the story of literary oppression found in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury presents the oppression of an authoritarian state that does not allow its citizens to reads books. Guy Montag is initially a servant of the state that requires him to locate and persecute members of the community that still collect books. In various cases, Bradbury defines the rights of certain citizens to rebel against Guy and the other “book burners”, which suggest liberation from tyranny and the freedom of information. Guy also becomes convenient that the policy to destroy books is a threat to civilization, and the rebellion allows him to change his views and to rebel against the government. More importantly, Clarisse’s role in inspiring Guy to revolt becomes a major catalyst for freeing the society from banning books that are deemed a threat to the social order. In essence, an analysis of freedom of information will be examined in this study of literary oppression found in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

​In a world where everything surrounding one is so different and so similar in the exact same time… Imagine a society where everything an individual can mentally and physically do is under the power of the government. Self-difference does not exist. In a futuristic setting of the novel ‘Fahrenheit 451’ written by Ray Bradbury, and the short story ‘Harrison Bergeron’ written by Kurt Vonnegut are both two very eventful and interesting readings that will keep one’s mind running on about the outlook on futuristic life and the governments strict needs and wants throughout a society. These two stories can be compared and contrasted by the strict outlook on the governments control, demand and want over a society, the close relation the two main characters from both stories portray and the similar theme demonstrating loss of individuality.

The average person in our society spends 7-8 hours a day(The Washington Post) using technology; that is stuff like television, video games, surfing the web, etc. Let that set in; that’s a long time. Our society procrastinates also is constantly distracted by technology like no other. We are practically glued to technology; before we become slaves of technology we must change that. The theme of technology in Fahrenheit 451 informs us that the overuse of technology makes people lazy/procrastinate, that technology will overpower people’s lives, and technology takes away from people’s education.

When confronted by Beatty about hiding books in his home, Beatty demands Montag burn all of the books. Montag realizes the unfairness of this society and lashes out against those in control by burning his entire home and Beatty

Guy Montag beings the novel as a stereotypical average man in his society. Working long days as a fireman burning books and homes of criminals. Montag believes and seems to be happy watching the flame spread and catch fire watching everything gets destroyed until nothing remains but a small pile of ashes. This is the way that Montag has grown up and is what he has been educated to do. Montag wakes up every morning with a smile of happiness on his face excited to serve his society burning books “Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn em’ to ashes. That’s our official slogan.” The value of books do not yet apply to Montag. Not only does Montag believe all those with books should be punished dramatically, but those who believe in joy of reading are crazy. The novel begins with a woman who yells “You can never have my books” Montag automatically believes the lady is crazy and as he watches her burn with her books he is so confused on why the books meant so much to her in the first place. When this occurs Montag has not yet transformed into complex man he becomes.

However, throughout this novel Montag there are many people that come and are already in his life that make him change who he really is. First person being a seventeen-year-old girl named Clarisse McClellan. Clarisse is the type of person in this society who is naturally cheerful, and is really outgoing since most of the time Guy Montag sees Clarisse on the streets at night. She is like fresh air to Montag, the white pale face of hers representing pureness in literature. Guy Montag wouldn’t be who he is at the end of the novel if it wasn’t really for Clarisse. The question that sparked Montag’s mind was when Clarisse asked him “are you happy”(Bradbury)? At that instant Montag should have said yes; however, he took a moment to really think about his answer, which in this case was a sign of that Mildred and Guy Montag were not in a good relationship. This embarrassed Montag and he tries to deny it, but inside, he knows it is true. Only a short time after meeting Montag Clarisse disappears without any explanation, although Mildred and Captain Beatty claim she was killed in a car accident. This really moves Montag because for the first time in his life he was actually sad. In the end Clarisse is responsible for making Montag realize that he wasn’t happy in the life that he was

Fahrenheit 451 written in 1953 by Ray Bradbury, provides a deep insight into what the future could’ve held if humanity continued with their selfish methods, suffused with societal issues from the forties and fifties from drug abuse to censorship and the attempt for complete equality. Bradbury noticed the effects drugs had on his community and focused it as a problem in his book. Mildred overdoses on sleeping pills by accident and takes no responsibility for what she does, the frightening event doesn’t phase her. 1950s drug use rendered into the danger zone by utilizing perilous drugs as medicine (blog.palmpartners.com). Addictions were overlooked and went uncured, ravaging through victims one by one. Drug abuse is relevant in today’s society

When walking home from another duty as a fireman Montag stumbles upon his new neighbor, Clarisse McClellan. The two engage in philosophical conversation, mainly driven by the young, “socially ill” neighbor. Before heading into his home, Clarisse asks Montag a question. She asks if he is happy. He laughs at the question at first but after looking at Clarisse’s bright, cheerful home, Montag realizes he may not be as happy as he thinks he is while standing in his cold bedroom. A metaphor describes his feelings as Bradbury writes, “He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back,” (12). Then as matters couldn't get worse, he discovers his wife has attempted suicide shortly after accidentally kicking an empty sleeping pill bottle on the floor. From that moment on he continues to refer to this incident, wondering why his wife took the pills in the first place. Even after calling for help and saving her life, Mildred continues to bother Montag with distrust and ignorance. She even reports Montag’s interest in books to the fire department, leading Montag to completely change the way he thinks about their

At the beginning of the book Montag thought that burning books would always make him happy. Clarisse later asks Montag if he is “..happy..” and Montag has no idea how to answer her(4). Montag does not know what happiness really is or if he is really truly happy in his life or his society. Clarisse once told Montag how “once billboards were only twenty feet long” because the speed limit was so much slower.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, a Swiss-American psychiatrist and author of the book Death and Dying, once imagined that, “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.” The text’s collection focus on Ray Bradbury’s science fiction, Fahrenheit 451 discusses about the growth and struggles of Guy Montag’s beliefs against his society. Montag is a fireman and his job is to restrain people from learning by burning books. He meets special people and realizes the stimulation and manipulations of his society. He realizes that by struggling and suffering, there is wisdom rewarded at the end. This demonstrates

In this central passage the author is teaching us another life lesson. Is the author really saying we’re unimportant? Yes, some may say he is, however I disagree. I do not think the author is trying to say that we don’t have any significant value. What he is trying to tell us, however, is that we think we are far more important than we actually are. Is the author trying to suggest that we should stop caring so much about ourselves? We can only worry about ourselves to the extent where we would probably be depressed, we are spiritually designed to love and help each other. In other words, Bradbury is harshly telling us that we human beings need to stop being so selfish and start helping others. In the second part of the passage, “Someday the

Imagine it was a cool summer day and you had just gotten a brand new pair of shoes.These were the shoes that every person had.You absolutely hated the shoes and they were too big for you, but you decided to get them because society is controlling and you knew that all of your friends would think they were cool.when you got to school you tripped in front of everyone and everybody laughed.Consequently You realized you shouldn't have let society control you.In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury thinking books were bad was just like the pair of shoes everyone thought that books were bad because they were illegal so nobody could read them and get knowledge from them. This story Fahrenheit 451 by ray bradbury is about a firefighter who loves books

Imagine living in a world where you are not in control of your own thoughts. Imagine living in a world in which all the great thinkers of the past have been blurred from existence. Imagine living in a world where life no longer involves beauty, but instead a controlled system that the government is capable of manipulating. In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, such a world is brought to the awareness of the reader through a description of the impacts of censorship and forced conformity on people living in a futuristic society. In this society, all works of literature have become a symbol of unnecessary controversy and are outlawed. Individuality and thought is outlawed. The human mind is

Ray Bradbury 's novel, Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953, depicts a grim and also quite feasible prediction of a futuristic world. In Bradbury 's technology-obsessed society, a clear view of the horrific effects that a fixation for mindlessness would have on a civilization shows through his writing. Being carefree is encouraged while people who think "outside the box" are swiftly and effectively removed. The technology Bradbury 's society is designed to keep the people uninformed, which the vast majority of are happily and voluntarily in their ignorant state. There are many details in this novel that suggest that the future of a society obsessed with advanced technology is not

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a display of how humans are relying more and more on technology for entertainment at the price of their ability for intellectual development. It is a novel about technological dystopia, often compared to other novels such as, George Orwell’s 1984 and Asimov Ender’s Game. Although today’s technology has not quite caught up with Bradbury’s expectations, the threat of having his vision of a dystrophic society is very realistic. He sees a futuristic society in which this submission of thought is highly valued. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury displays a futuristic utopian society where "the people did not read books, enjoy nature, spend time by themselves, think independently, or have meaningful conversations" (Mogen, Pg. 111).