Fahrenheit 451 Literary Analysis

An Analytical Essay of Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury, the author of the literary classic Fahrenheit 451, first published in 1953, tells of the disturbed world that Guy Montag, a fireman, lives in. In a world where reading is illegal and the firemen burn the books, Montag swiftly discovers that people of his city are living blind to the reality around them. Bradbury constructs the dystopian society in Fahrenheit 451 through the use of themes such as censorship and oppression of individual thought, focusing predominantly on the causes such as technology, conformism, and totalitarian governments in a corrupt society.

Set in the future, the novelist creates a civilisation severely dependant on technology. This unnatural world is constantly and

unrelenting connected to various forms of electronic devices, at all hours of the day. Mildred Montag is a prime example of this, “… in her ears the little Seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight, and an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talk coming in, coming in on the shore of her sleeping mind… There had been no night in the last two years that Mildred had not swum that sea” (p.20). Her over-exuberant love of the “parlour walls”, much like the rest of society also demonstrates this. Day and night, a non-stop stream of pointless information is fed into the people’s minds. Bradbury describes the medical technology as being extremely advanced, so much so that mere handymen instead of doctors can operate it, as illustrated by one of the two medical machines used when Mildred is found to have overdosed on sleeping pills, “It had an Eye. The impersonal operator of the machine could, by wearing a special optical helmet, gaze into the soul of the person whom he was pumping out” (p. 23).These numerous mechanical appliances are main-stream in their community, as it is revealed that Mildred’s case happens as often as 2-3 times a night, with it being exceptionally rare that they are not used.

A sense of conformity can be continually observed throughout the text, with the population of the city being so engrossed in conforming to society’s rules and ideals that they are oblivious to the state of the world around them.

Socialising through verbal communication, interaction with nature, and even individual thought are considered outlandish by others, something that in particular occurs within the character of Clarisse McClellan, who is unique in that she is a non-conformist. When asked by Montag why she isn’t at school, Clarisse replied with “I’m anti-social, they say. I don’t mix. It’s so strange. I’m very social indeed. It all depends on what you mean by social, doesn’t it?” (p. 41). Clarisse’s awareness of the way the world contradicts itself and Montag’s fear of having not known about it makes it clear that she is an irregularity and the mannerisms and language she exhibits through the novel defines the way she breaks convention. She mentions “I am afraid of children my age. They kill each other” (p. 42). This can therefore be perceived that this is a form of entertainment for children and a common thing, a horrifying idea. Bradbury’s society in the novel burns books and prohibits reading, as it is the predominant way for people to create their own opinions and ideas, which the government believed would be dangerous. A highly likely scenario for the cause of this behaviour is due to fear of the

authorities.

Totalitarian governments and their control over people feature strongly in Fahrenheit 451 through media manipulation, particularly in that it is a morally corrupt society, which is revealed to be leading people to a war they are inhibited from actively being concerned about. Mildred’s friend Mrs Phelps states regarding her husband, “The Army, called Pete yesterday. He’ll be back next week. The Army said so. Quick war. Forty-eight hours they said, and everyone home… I’m not worried… I’ll let Pete do all the worrying,” (p. 122-123). The government has informed of people of a war, though the information is incorrect, in that the war was not a quick one. People forget entirely about it because of the constant stream of other information being pumped into them via technology, clearly an example of subliminal messaging used to sway people’s thoughts. The reading and owning of novels is also forbidden in this world, as the government believed that it could encourage individual and creative thinking, deciding that it should be discouraged and prohibited. Another way in that the government is severely disturbed and controlling is that the ideals of a candidate do not matter, as their looks are more important, likely promoted by the media, which they control. This domination of rights is completely accepted by this society, without giving it a second though. When discussing politics, Mrs Bowles says, “I voted last election, same as everyone else, and I laid it on the line for President Noble. I think he’s one of the nicest – looking men that’s ever become president” (p. 125). Voting in a president based on how aesthetically pleasing they are visually seems commonplace in this world, despite that fact that the President himself may be morally corrupt or not even be aware of all that the authorities are hiding from them like the rest of the population by restricting the media produced and shown.

Ultimately, the dystopian world created by Ray Bradbury is one of the best created in our time, by exploring themes such as electronic devices manipulation of people, the dangers of being mindlessly obedient to society’s rules, and how totalitarian government influence and control their society. Bradbury’s world imagined within this novel is a shocking and terrifying one, yet Bradbury believed that this is what we are slowly becoming, and perhaps he was right.