Examples Of Dystopia In Fahrenheit 451

Books are a symbol of learning, imagination and knowledge. In 1933 the Nazis burned all the books in order to subdue the free thinking and, liberty of the citizens of germany. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury it displays a controlling, violent, and oppressive Dystopian, government similar to Germany.

The main character, Guy Montag, is a fireman, but his job is to start fires, not put them out. On a job Montag is supposed to start the fire “He flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black” (1) In this society, reading books, or even having them in possession is against the law. Firemen, like Montag find these people and burn the books they have. This is because

the government doesn't want people to think for themselves, they want complete control over the citizens without any rebellion. One day when Montag is walking to work Clairisse isn't outside to talk to him anymore. A few days later, his wife tells him that she was hit by a car, but when Beatty comes to talk to him, he makes it sound like it wasn't an accident. “‘She didn’t want to know how a thing was done, but why. That can be embarrassing. You ask why to a lot of things and you wind up very unhappy indeed, if you keep at it. the girl is better off dead’” (60) The government takes kids at a young age and puts them in school where they are taught to conform, but clarisse and her family are different, they think about things and look at things differently than other people. The government saw this as a threat to their power so she “accidentally” gets hit by a car. The government is keeping information from the citizens and eliminating threats to their power.
A Dystopia is portrayed in this mindless, thoughtless, society.

Where thinking and wondering about life is uncommon. While Montag is on his way to go find Faber, a quiet man who asked him about books years ago. He is on a train and a commercial keeps blaring, keeping him from thinking. “The train radio vomited upon Montag, in retaliation, a great ton load of music made out tin, copper, silver, chromium, and brass. the people were pounded into submission; they did not run, there was no place to run.”(79) Montag is trying to read the bible and memorize it so it will never be forgotten, but the commercial is so loud and disrupting that he cannot think for himself. This is purposely put in place by the government so that the citizens will not be able to think or wonder about life. This enforces that the controlling leaders will have absolute power and no retaliation. This is also shown with the “families” that each house has. At the front room of houses is a parlor where all four walls are television screens. Much like t.v. today there are programs that come on, but for Millie, Montags wife, and the other citizens, the virtual families are real to them. “‘My ‘family’ is real people. They tell me things: i laugh, they laugh! And the colors!’”(73) The technology runs their lives and they care about the virtual families more than their own. Millie will sit in the parlor with the volume turned all the way up thinking about nothing but what is happening currently in her life. Such as

the programs that are put on the by the government to keep them from wondering about the society, and how wrong it has become. Not only is the brainless state of the citizens are show but other traits become apparent in this dystopia.
Violence, and control plays a key role in the dystopian novel.

While Montag is on the run from the government because of his possession of books and rebellion. He has to cross a huge highway with speeding cars to get away. While he is running he sees a cars headlights trained on him and he immediately thinks its the police coming after him. While trying to get away Montag becomes flustered and falls down and the car avoids hitting him. He realizes the people driving the car was not the police but some teenagers. Seeing a rare occurrence of a man walking down the road the teenagers thought nothing but lets hit him. Montag is in shock “they would have killed me… For no reason at all they would've killed me”(128) the kids have grown up with no value for human life, they do whatever pleases them at the moment, and don't know or care about the consequences that are affected by their choices. the government hold complete control of every citizen. Montag, still on the run is heading for the tree line to conceal himself, while the whole chase is being broadcasted to every person. on elm terrace. while on montag is making a run for it the announcer tells everybody on the count of ten to open up their doors and look for the wanted fugitive “‘police suggest entire population in the Elm Terrace area do as follows: Everyone in every street open a front or rear door or look from the windows. The fugitive cannot escape if everyone in the next minute looks from his house. Ready!’… the doors

opened. he imagined thousands on thousands of faces peering into yards, into alleys” police and authorities control the lives of the people, and they're completely oblivious to it. they tell them what to do and they'll do it without question, leaving this society utterly helpless.
In conclusion Fahrenheit 451 it clearly shows characteristics of a destructive dystopian society. Montag is an example of the power of the human spirit to free itself from the conformity of the oppressive government. His example of putting his life in danger showed the value of his freedom and want to achieve knowledge and free thinking that the predominate and destructive government took away from him.