Although Ray Bradbury's work is often referred to as science fiction, Fahrenheit 451 has plenty to say about the world as it is, and not as it could be. Now that you have finished reading the book, select one of the following themes from the novel and briefly explain what the book teaches about this concept.
conformity vs. individualityfreedom of speech and the consequences of losing itthe importance of remembering and understanding historymachines as helpers to humans, machines as hindrances or enemiesAlso please answer the poll about the book in the column at the right. (The deadline to post a reply to this question is midnight Monday, January 3, 2010)
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Conformity vs. Individuality
Throughout the novel, this theme has been implied. The members of the society are all the same. Everyone knows the same thing as anyone else in town. No one stands up for anything or wants to further their knowledge. People like Clarrise, Montag, Faber, and Granger, are individuals. They were different from the conformed society because they escaped the Cave and learned the true reality of the world. They saw things through different eyes and lived a different life. They were happier, and they had a purpose for their life, while the rest of society was useless.
In “Fahrenheit 451” the society has highly advanced technology. Their machines help further their quality of life and make their daily tasks simpler. Their machines, such as the stomach pump, also are able to do things that humans cannot do. However, machines can also be an enemy to humans. Since the society has made their machines more sophisticated it gives the machines the ability to question society’s rights and their parts in human’s lives. This can lead to machines taking over human lives and destroying society to try and improve it through their “eyes.” A good example for this is the Hound because it starts to attack Montag when it knows Montag is doing something that is going against society. Another example of a machine that is harmful to humans is the TV parlor walls. These parlor walls have created a way for society to forget all of its problems and focus on something else. The parlor walls have become very dangerous because they have taken away the ability for humans to think for themselves.
The world as it is, if full of freedom especially freedom of speech. This book is about losing this freedom of speech through books and even thoughtful conversations. The consequence of losing freedom of speech is not as the world could be. If we did start losing this freedom in our modern world this book gives a good idea as to how far the government could go. To open a book and see empty pages, to have a conversation about nothing really, this book makes me very thankful for the freedom we have to know knowledge and talk and write freely. This book theme teaches us to appreciate our freedom of books by actually analyzing, understanding, and acting on the messages of the books.
Throghout this book, the society has focused upon the principle that the less voices speaking, then the less confusion, arguments, and ultimately, unhappiness. This problem is solved by elimenating all voices except one, the govenment. Then, if others argue, presenting other ideas, they are quietly gotten rid of. The long term effect of this is that the followers forget how to disobey, forget that there even Are alternatives to what is. When this happens, society ceases to be a society, it becomes a hive. Each member of the hive quietly doing its alloted task, not thinking of anything else, not even of the lives of its fellow drones, only of obeying the individual in charge to ensure continued supply of what it desires. This is what has happened in Farenheit 451, with humans the drones and entertainment the desire. However, the lesson of the book is instead that multiple voices, although sometimes discordant and unorganized, helps society to be society through conflict of thought. This is why freedom of speech is important, because it allows us to value others for their personalities and ideas. If we lose this freedom, we lose the ability to value each other.
Fahrenheit 451 has a strong message for conformity verses individuality. In the book the society lacked individuality. Everyone was the same because they were too scared to conform, or because life was easier obeying the law and not being different or unique. Even though most people in the society were too scared to conform, there were some individuals that were very brave and decided to follow their own path. One of those individuals was Montag. He was not happy with his life and knew he could do something better with it. Another brave individual was Clarisse. She was original from the very beginning and influenced Montag in a positive way. This book was a great example of how being different is not bad.
The theme of the book is to be an individual and not give in to the conformity of society. Montag is constantly at war with himself and struggles with right and wrong. I feel that deep down, Montag admires Clarisse and knows that her view of life and society is right and that the world would be a much better place if everyone felt the same way. At the same time, Captain Beatty is contradicting this by scolding Montag about continuing his work in order to "save" the world from individual and conflicting ideas that books create. In the end, I feel that Montag learns the important lesson that no matter what everyone in society says, he should be an individual and present the ideas he knows to be right and true. The other keepers help him realize this idea and help to the accept the importance of individuality in the world in order to help it grow and survive. -This is Laura W. but I can't figure out how to make my profile name not my email.
"The importance of remembering and understanding history"
Many people can state different reasons as to why we should remember our history and understand it as well. After reading this book I have come to realize what could possibly happen if we didn't know about our history. In Montag's society they have stopped reading and thinking in their spare time. They just watch their "parlor walls". The society has stopped thinking why they do the things that they do. They have stopped watching how the world works. They don't realize how or why events happened that their ancestors have fought for them to have. For example, bombers fly through the sky several times a day. This society just sits and lets things pass them by. "Parlor walls" are more real to them then books are. Remembering and understanding history allows us not to make the same mistakes again and to understand oursevles, just as Montag is set out to do in the book.
I believe that this book says more about conformity vs. individuality than any other theme. The people in Montag's society are not willing to be individuals and unique. They are only conforming to what the government wants them to be. They are sheltered in a cave of fun and happiness, not knowledge and intellectual thoughts. The government tells them what to do and they do not question it. They see whatever is told to them as the truth and never thinks about it to make their own opinion on it. People like Faber, Clarisse, and Granger are true individuals. They have their own thoughts and opinions. Montag slowly develops into an individual himself, no longer conforming to what the society wants him to be. The theme of conformity vs. individuality is prominent throughtout the whole book. It teaches us a valuable lesson to not conform, but to be ourselves.
Conformity vs. Individuality
To conform can be defined by "to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group" and this is exactly what characters in Fahrenheit 451 do. Mildred Montag and Captain Beatty are prime examples of characters that just conform to society and accept ignorance over knowledge. In this novel, if the people do not abide by the laws, then they could be punished by death. Clarisse, Faber, Granger, and Guy Montag all are indiviuals and question society and the laws that the government established. Although conformity would be the "easy way" to live, Clarisse McClellan and Guy Montag have free thought and are interested in the books and becoming educated. In the beginning of the novel Guy did just conform to society, but Clarisee was his inital inspiration to have a desire to read the books and question life. The themes of conformity and indiviuality were prominent thoughout the entire book and is very important to the meaning of the novel.
Freedom of speech and the consequences of losing it
In this book, freedom to do what you wish and say what you wish is completely absent. People are pretty much told what to think, say, and do. Individuality is absent, and that takes so much from a person. When people are forbidden from freedom of speech, they not only lose that privilege, but also themselves. Trying to hard to be accepted into the society they live in, everyone around Montag has molded themselves into ideal people that society wants them to be. It is honestly tragic to see people afraid of being who they really are. Montag's wife is so wrapped up in fitting the image their society portrays as ideal that they lack an actual relationship. Later on in the book, he claims he would not feel a thing if she died. That points out that in their society, since everyone is the same, falling in love with one person is the same as falling in love with anyone else. No one has any qualities that are unique to them all because they live in fear to express them. The book teaches us how important it actually is to stand up for your individuality.
'Conformity VS. Individuality'
I appreciate a good book, and this was certainly nothing less than that. The really interesting thing for me was all of the connections between the futuristic society Bradbury imagined and the true futuristic society we live in today. The overall conformity in either of these societies is ignorance. It is said that 'ignorance is bliss'. The society in 'Fahrenheit 451' is certainly built upon ignorance, as long as it made life seem convenient. Drive super fast to get to where you are going, have what you want now, and forget about thinking and processing. Thinking and processing things just lead to worry, debate, frustration, etc, and nobody wants that. But the level of ignorance in the story's society became so high, the value of human life is down to where if someone kills themself or dies, it doesn't matter to you. You are still ignorantly enjoying your t.v. The value of human life is so low, that simple conversation seems 'out of the way'. It is surprisingly like that today. Granted, the value of human life is still important and worth saving, but conversation now adays is a couple of symbolic text symbols like 'LOL, OMG, TTYL.' Not many people now a days take a breath and try to process, think and reason about things with other people or even with themselves. Our society has its ignorances. The cool thing is, there is always, always, going to be some sort of individuality in any degrading and ignorance increasing society; a glimmer of hope that humans can think for themselves and be the individuals they were created to be. In the book, this is symbolized by people like Montag, Clarisse, Faber, Granger, and the brave woman who, in her individuality, gave her life to stand for it. Each of these characters had experienced persecution for standing for this individuality; Montag's we read about first hand. It all leads to this new beginning, and I love how Bradbury references the passage from Ecclesiastes; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. 'There is a season for everything...' and thought that enstilling this vision of hope into the mind of the reader. To me, this book is a 165 page eye opening parable of Conformity VS. Individuality that can enstill strength and hope in the reader for an individual cause of there own, if not make them aware of the problems of ignorance in society and possibly help them turn the tide of ignorant and easy thinking, whether it starting a petition, standing up, or even saving books...
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