He shows how people themselves choose to either retain the right of individuality and knowledge or choose to succumb to the simplicity of a life without thought or the need to make decisions. Bradbury is not only trying to express the danger that comes with censorship and control. The importance of this theme lies within the how. Having lost the ability to think for themselves, the people stay electronically connected to media at all times, either through the Seashell Radios in their ears or their immersive parlors with wall-size screens. Without books to turn to for knowledge, society has given the government and mass media the power to control all information. Though they are long past realizing it, the ignorance of the people in Fahrenheit 451 allows them to be controlled through censorship. Bradbury uses one of the most extreme forms of destruction to emphasize the grim reality and fate of a world that allows itself to fall to ignorance and conformity. He must accept that the only way to save himself and humanity is by destroying the world of ignorance and conformity he has been a part of for so long. His desperation to bring meaning to his life, to rid himself of the ignorance his society accepted, leads him on a tumultuous journey. Believing that books must contain the knowledge he seeks, Montag allows his life to spiral out of control as he defies the laws he was meant to uphold. To be different is to be an outcast society has chosen conformity because life is simpler when everyone is the same.Īs Montag’s eyes are opened to the emptiness of his life, he is driven to find greater meaning. Ideas lead to differences, and differences lead to conflict, which is avoided at all costs. There is no room for the development of individual identity and ideas. Having disregarded books and the knowledge contained in them, people have become ignorant, addicted to mass media and the constant barrage of sights and sounds that never stop to allow one to process and think. Set in a future vision of America, society has become an empty shell of humanity. Though the story opens with an image of Montag appearing to relish the feeling of burning things, it’s not long before he meets Clarisse and is struck by how different she is from everyone else he knows. The story’s protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman in a society where firemen no longer put out fires but rather start them in homes known to be hiding books. Supporting themes centered around censorship as a means to control society and the destructive nature of technology are used to amplify the overarching theme. The overarching theme of Fahrenheit 451 explores the struggle between man’s desire for knowledge and individuality in a society that expects ignorance and conformity. Major Themes in Fahrenheit 451 Knowledge and Individuality vs.
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