Fahrenheit 451: A Dystopian Society

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In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury the idea of The American Dream and the ideas of a utopian/dystopian society are brought up in the novel quite often. Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian society because it is completely undesirable. First, I wouldn’t say America is a dystopian society, but America does show some qualities of a dystopian society. For example, some characteristics of a dystopian society include: A figurehead or concept that is worshipped by the citizens of the society, propaganda is used to control the citizens of society, and the society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world. In America celebrities are the “figureheads” of our society, advertising is our propaganda, and people want to live here because we’re using propaganda to …show more content…

Second, in the book Bradbury uses a phoenix to symbolize immortality. Instead of Bradbury using the phoenix in a positive way he uses it to show that the city of Fahrenheit 451 is endless circle of negativity. The narrator says, “But he knew his mouth has only moved to say hello, and then when she seemed hypnotized by the salamander on his arm and the phoenix-disc on his chest, he spoke again.” (Bradbury 4). This quote shows that the phoenix has an impact on the society of Fahrenheit 451. Third, censorship is a large part of the book and can certainly show how dystopian Fahrenheit 451 actually is. In the novel Beatty explains to Montag that censorship wasn’t because of the government it was because the citizens allowed it. "It didn't come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploration, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God. Today, thanks to them, you can stay happy all the time...” (Bradbury 55). This quote is saying that people didn’t want things that would interrupt their happiness, so they chose

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