preview

Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Good Essays

When an author produces a work of literature, they are greatly influenced by the world around them. Inspired by life in society, authors are able to create work that speaks to their observations and views on society and its functions. In the book Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury incorporated the corruption of the society in which he lived in into the dystopian society created in his book. Fahrenheit 451, a fictional book about a protagonist’s attempt to overcome a dystopian society’s corruption, was written by Ray Bradbury while living in 1950’s America. The book focuses on themes of censorship, and illustrates the effects of when a society is controlled and limited. The correlation between the story and the time it was written is …show more content…

The HUAC, established in 1938, conducted investigations to seek out communist members. However, this search for un-American propaganda was harmful to the lives of many, as people were persecuted for personal beliefs, and fired from workplaces. Therefore, the censorship of political ideas was present in the 1950’s as well. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, he incorporates these ideas of political censorship. To begin, any threats to overthrow government during the 1950’s were targets for censorship, and there was punishment of those thought to have views against the government. This is presented in Fahrenheit 451 when the protagonist Montag attempts to resist conformation to society, and harbors books in a dystopian world where books are not allowed. In result of this revolt against government, a hound is sent after Montag to kill him, in relation to how many are punished in fifties society; “to come this far, to work this hard, and think yourself safe and sigh with relief and come out on the land at last only to find...The Hound!” (137) Metaphorically, Montag may be viewed as a victim of 1950’s censorship when accused of communism. People worked hard, only to have their lives ruined by censoring political groups. Therefore, 1950’s political censorship was present, and could be related to Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. The censorship of ideas contributed to a decline in job opportunities for those said to have communist

Get Access