Fahrenheit 451 Literary Analysis

Guy Montag shelters some of his books in his house that he took from his burnings as a fireman, only to read

Additionally, the novel's portrayal of the burning of books and the suppression of literature illustrates the importance of books in preserving knowledge and challenging societal norms. In a culture that prioritizes immediate satisfaction and shallow amusement, books are viewed as threatening and

“The woman reached out with contempt to them all, and struck the kitchen match against the railing” (37). Montag and the other firemen report to a house that is suspected of harboring books. They are correct, and they find books in the attic of the home. The books belong to an old woman whose name is unknown to the readers, and she was devastated that the firemen were destroying her home and books. Ultimately she kills herself by setting fire to herself, her home, and the books. The very property and books in question that were about to be burned by Captain Beatty. She felt that books were so important in her life that she could not go on without them. Some people would feel that things to die for, like freedom, liberty, and their family would be more important, but this woman chose her books. It seems very clear to me that Ray Bradbury seems to be telling us, the readers, that there are things in life

Sandy Hook Elementary School. San Bernardino. Paris. What do all of these places have in common? They fell victim to unpredictability. Mass shootings are not new to our society, but they are still a devastating problem that should not exist any longer. Mass shootings connect to the novel, Fahrenheit 451, through both the unnecessary violence and the absence of humanity that are evident in the novel. Mass shootings are a devastating problem in our society, and now their numbers have escalated to a new level. This change reflects how both our society and our humanity is beginning to crumble, solutions like banning unnecessary and excessive fire arms are currently being enacted.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a novel that illustrates what could happen to our society in the future. The novel portrays a society in which books, excluding comic books and other simple technical books, are banned and burned for the good of the society as the people believed. The books are seen as a source of unhappiness and, therefore, the society has decided to Ban them and put the fireman in charge of maintaining the censorships. I believe that books are not only banned because they make people unhappy but because they make people unequal. I believe that censorship of books is indented to make everyone in the society equal.

For centuries, books have been extremely influential to the way the world runs. They are used to help guide others, to share opinions, and inspire future generations of people. It is difficult to imagine what a world without books would be like. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, that idea is explored. This novel shows what a world without books would be like, and it seems to be quite chaotic. With books being illegal, punishment comes with owning a book. Fireman Guy Montag is one of many people who make sure that hidden books are destroyed. His job is to burn down houses where people live, even if the people in the house refuse to leave. As the book goes on, Guy Montag begins to wonder why he burns books. He wonders, is he really doing the right thing? One thing is sure, Guy Montag is not satisfied with his life and will do almost anything to be happy once more. Guy Montag is so unsatisfied with his life and so greedy for this knowledge of books that he is willing to lose his wife of many years, his job, and a place in his society.

In Fahrenheit 451,fireman burn books instead of helping those people that needed them. The government in Fahrenheit 451 does not want the people to grow any knowledge by reading books, therefore they burn the books. The fireman burned books to prevent the people from gaining knowledge. Bradbury states how much books are worth,”Books,so the damned snobbish

Some citizens are so passionate about their novels they would burn with their books as the firemen set the books on fire. Firemen in this crooked society will do anything to disallow people from books, even if it means burning them with the books, Captain Beatty tells Montag “...these fanatics always try suicide; the pattern’s familiar.” (Bradbury 39) Citizens who protect their books and die with their books as they burn, proves how important books are to people who have discovered there “powers” and how great they are for relaxing and such. The world is so ignorant about how much you can benefit from books, but throughout everyone’s life all they learn about is how books should be hated by all. People who do not take the time to explore book’s greatness believe (like the rest) that books are evil and should be burnt, so they think everyone who reads them is better than those who do not read, Montag is to be believed to be one of these “book loving freaks” when Beatty says “You think you can walk on water with your books. Well, the world can get by just fine without them.” (118) People in general no matter what society, dystopic or not, believe anything the government throws in their face. By burning books, the government is making citizens believe reading is terrible, expanding your mind with literature is disgustingly bad, and create people who read

Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, depicts numerous ways the government controls the citizens and their beliefs. The protective state that firemen are portrayed as in modern society is transformed within this futuristic economy. This predominant bureaucracy downgrades books and the value of having them in society. Government authorities depict books as harmful and dangerous to humankind, yet there are still very few people who realize how useful their insight can be to a society. The importance of knowledge from books are illegalized within Fahrenheit 451, which causes this dystopian society to believe they are of equal intelligence and happiness when in reality it deprives the citizens of beneficial awareness.

Fahrenheit 451 is set in a futuristic American city where books are illegal, firefighters start the fires, and filled with people who do not think independently. Guy Montag, a local fireman, becomes frustrated with his life and starts taking books from homes that he burns. Once the fired chef begins to finds out what Montag is doing Montag become flustered trying to understand what the books mean before he gets caught. He turns to a retired professor named Faber to help him. Faber and Montag come up with a plan to bring down the firemen by putting books in all of the firemen’s houses. This plan stopped when Montag got into the fire truck, and it shows up at his own home to be burned down. After burning down his own

The government is reducing the chances for everyone to think by taking away books from people to read in many communities around the world. For example in F451, as Montag returns from work, he encounters with a curious, open minded, 17 year old named Clarisse, who asks him, “Do you ever read any of the books you burn? He responded by saying, “That’s against the law.”(8) Clarisse wonders if Montag reads any of the books that he destroys, but realizes that in this society in which they live, it is against the law to read books. They most likely made this law because they didn’t want them knowing anything about the past, which would work as a caution for those living in the future. Later on in the story when Montag returned to the firehouse, he looked past the other firemen and “Gazed beyond them to the wall with the typed lists of a million forbidden book.”(34) Montag is starting to get curious and starts questioning if the idea to

A bleak, inexorable and ignorant universe calls to mind Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, an archetype of such a milieu. The most striking characteristics of this universe is the nonchalant attitude towards violence and, notoriously, the banning of books. Books are believed to be the bane of equality, the society’s ultimate goal. Ironically, it is not a small, radical faction that suppresses the people, but the majority itself. Through the spread of beliefs through various methods, the universe is a bland mixture of mindless individuals who are nothing more than cogs of a machine. Fahrenheit 451 is truly a memoir on how authority and majority are interchangeable and are unrelentingly victorious over dissidents.

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, details a world filled with mindless entertainment and a lack of self-expression. Everyone is not only discouraged to think for themselves, but also fearful of unique thoughts and ideas. A quote from the book that would describe this is, “It was a pleasure to burn…with the brass nozzle in his fists…blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history…While the books went up in sparkling whirls and blew away on a wind turned dark and burning.” (1) Books, which would provide information and knowledge, are forbidden and burned. The owner who is caught with them is put in prison. The idea of a society run by one who dictate the rules, take away all freedom. These consequences for disobeying and being an “individual” are strong reasons the

“Then, moaning, she ran forward, seized a book and ran toward the kitchen incinerator. He caught her, shrieking. He held her and she tried to fight away from him scratching,” (63). In the novel Fahrenheit 451 follows the protagonist, Guy Montag, and his interactions with society discouraging and encouraging his discovery of the illegal books. Along the way he understands who are the poisonous people in his dystopian world and who are not; changing his perspective to lose trust in his wife Mildred, from previous quote, and finding safety with Faber, a retired professor he came by one day in a park. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 the author demonstrates the idea that when there is censorship in the world, ignorance will follow because when a subject is hidden from one anything they do regarding it is under the impression of their lack of knowledge surrounding the topic, this becomes more relevant when Ray Bradbury acknowledges the emotions of people who have read books and whom haven't and their general opinions of them.

In this society, books are banned, they are not to be read or owned. Anyone who is caught with a book or accused of having books is punished by firemen. Firemen do not put out fire instead, they start it; their job is to burn books and anyone who owns them, “burn 'em to ashes, then burn the ashes. That's our official slogan” (Bradbury 3). The government justifies their reaction towards books arguing that they are protecting people’s happiness. According to their argument, the knowledge that people gain from books could lead to controversy. Consequently, by destroying books, people are relieved from thinking or arguing, “We stand against …those who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought” (Bradbury 30). In order to remain in control, they have to brainwash people on a daily basis, masking their true intentions in the name of people’s happiness. Gabriela Wolk argues that “Fahrenheit 451, pointing towards the true power of the written word” (Wolk 11). Basically, books are considered “a loaded gun” (Bradbury 28) that would threaten the government power and for that, they must be