Cultural Norms In Fahrenheit 451

A society lacking knowledge, drive, impulse, and with blatant disregard for death. This is the world of Guy Montag in Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451. In this story, Guy Montag is stuck between the life he has always lived as a fireman and a newfound perspective on the beauty in awareness. Where books are banned and his job is to start them on fire instead of taming conflagrations, his increasing tendencies to question his own decisions and surroundings as a whole evoke extensive repercussions. Throughout the novel, Bradbury alludes to a future where apathy and a necessity of constant action are the cultural norms, where Clarisse McClellan and Mildred Montag live highly competing lives, and in which the themes of happiness and

Moreover, even upon enlightenment of books and exposure to what they hold, she remains disillusioned with their reality and brings the digital embrace closer than ever. However, when comparing Mildred and Clarisse, the differences are striking. Clarisse is an anomaly in this drab, repetitive world. This is clear from the onset in her interactions with Montag and the sheer fact that she is willing to converse with someone on the street. She has no regard for accepted social practices and prefers to enjoy the outside world rather than sit with the ‘family’ in the televisors. Furthermore, her oddities are at such great extremes that she is consulted by psychiatrists and branded by her classmates. This is evinced when she states, “I’m antisocial, they say. I don’t mix. It’s so strange” (Bradbury 26). This antisocial tendency comes from the idea that she does not sit quietly during her classes as they watch and learn about television or sports. Considered outgoing in today’s society, she is an outcast in hers. Nonetheless, she provides a fissure in the mask that blocks Montag’s view of how the world really functions. In doing this, she provides incentive for change and embodies the struggle for a better system. Combined, Mildred Montag and Clarisse McClellan provide a

This is expertly done by Ray Bradbury with case examples of apathy and digital obsession, looks into the viewpoints of Mildred Montag and Clarisse McClellan, and the foreshadowing of problems with happiness and knowledge taboos. Bradbury’s depiction of a dystopian future serves as a warning to the current generations of what may come of today’s trends. Already, society has moved along these paths in the decades since the inception of the novel. Accordingly, people should take heed of the insights and be wary of what the upcoming years will