Fahrenheit 451 Theme Ignorance Essay

Ignorance is in its nature an easy and almost appealing state of being. By being ignorant we are exempted from thinking, worrying and furthermore making wrong decisions because we simply do not know any better. But is being ignorant being happy? In Mildred’s case, a character that in this novel embodies a normal civilian, that is not even a question. She does not worry about being happy or anything to that matter, instead she sleep walks through life and is consumed by the mundane. Mildred lives through the parlor walls, an alter reality that “is an environment as real as the world. It becomes and is the truth.” [84] Mildred cannot escape this virtual world, and instead conforms to what the parlor aunts and uncles say because she wants to believe and is lead to believe that it is

the truth.

“Books aren’t real” [84] to her and the knowledge they contain is frightening and dangerous because it destroys her perfect idealized dream world. At the end of the novel Montag asks her to change her ways. He begs her to actually listen to him and read a book. However, Mildred blatantly refuses to do so because she perceives knowledge as a threat. Instead she screams for him to stop, showing that she would rather be ignorant than be exposed to something unknown. Mildred’s defiance towards knowledge demonstrates how sometimes not knowing is easier that dealing with the truth. Yet, is ignoring the truth any better? Can happiness really be achieved through self-deception and conformity, or is challenging the truth what makes us content?

Some characters, such as Montag, Faber and Clarisse cannot succumb to ignorance. They, unlike the others believe that books are wonderful and that knowledge is the basis of happiness. These think beyond the parlor walls and don’t merely talk things, they talk of the “meaning of things.” [75] Bradbury’s protagonist, Montag, transitions from ignorant to knowledgeable and

proves that happiness is very much tied in with the concept knowledge. Montag begins the novel as Mildred does, oblivious. He is a fireman and enjoys burning books because it is what he is supposed to do. He does not question nor does he think beyond his duties. This quickly changes when he meets Clarisse. She makes him question if he is happy, and the realization that he is not ignites his search for something more. In his quest for the truth Montag eventually realizes that a life without knowledge and devoid of communication is empty. This emptiness haunts him and he fights to preserve a world of books and a world of meaning, even if it means putting himself in danger. Montag begins to read the books he once burned and even though their content burdens him he feels that he cannot go back to a life where “nothing’s connected up.” [46] Montag sees that fear is what is preventing many from own lives, mostly the fear of making mistakes. Yet even know there is a chance of failure Montag fights for the freedom of knowledge because as Faber says, “mistakes can be profited by. If you hide ignorance, no one will hit you and you will never learn” [104] As Longfellow eloquently puts “Tell me not in mournful numbers, life is but an empty dream, for the souls is dead that slumbers, and things are not what they seem.” Montag shows us that life is about being awake and connecting with people and things. At the end of the novel Montag comes to understand that knowledge is what brings meaning to our lives, and that that is what makes us happy.