Malevolence In Fahrenheit 451 And A Wizard Of Earthsea

Fahrenheit 451 and A Wizard of Earthsea Essay

A hero will always overcome any challenges faced even if the trial is self-inflicted. In Fahrenheit 451, in a dystopian American society, former firefighter, Guy Montag is persecuted by the government when he realizes that they are suppressing knowledge and creating a shallow sense of happiness in the community so he flees and joins a hidden fellowship of advocates for the truth. In A Wizard of Earthsea, Ged, a young wizard goes on a journey to master his powers and along the way, battles his villainous shadow. In the novels Fahrenheit 451 and A Wizard of Earthsea, Bradbury and Le Guin demonstrate the human necessity of choosing peacefulness over malevolence using the symbolism of Montag's rebirth across the river and the personification of Ged’s monstrous shadow and its destruction as the means to redemption and self-acceptance.

Ged began his journey as an innocent naïve child and through the clash with his doppelganger he learned about darkness and how to defeat it.

“Have you never thought how danger must surround power as shadow does light?” (Le Guin 48). As Ogion shares some of his wisdom with the wide-eyed wizard, he made Ged mediate on his actions. Balance between righteousness and vile elements in the world is vital. Everyone has darkness inside of them but the difference between a good man and a bad man is the ability to acknowledge and mend their own faults. Throughout the entire novel, Ged was trying to make amends for his mistakes and protect the people around him. Ged destroyed his shadow and also demolished the evil that he caused. He learned a lot about magic but more importantly, he learned that with misused power comes evil and

darkness.
When Guy Montag escaped the society and he crossed the river symbolically beginning his knew life, he leaves behind all the crimes he committed behind him. “Now there was only the cold river and Montag floating in a sudden peacefulness, away from the city and the lights and the chase, away from everything” (Bradbury 226). Not only is the river a symbol of rebirth but it also provides a contrast for Montag’s mistakes. All of his crimes involved fire and destruction, yet as he floats along the river, he reflects on his actions and legitimately extinguishes the control that the government had on him. Montag does not know much about where he is going but he does know that he will be forgiven and he is going to start over. When he reaches the other side, he accepts that he loved his wife and that he will never see her again so he is quickly assimilating to his new life. He also reminisces about the corruption of the government and he hopes one day the people may be free of such a strict censorship. Guy blindly follows evil’s orders but at the end of the novel, he becomes an enlightened convict.
The theme was established by recognizing the literary devices of personification of Ged’s evil and the symbolism of Montag’s reawakening. Fahrenheit 451 has a more honest and relatable message. Censorship is something seen every day across the world and Bradbury’s story could serve as a cautionary tale for a lot of societies but it also reaches out to any individual. Guy’s internal conflicts are similar to battles that anyone who has made a mistake before has experienced. With correcting one’s errors and growing from it, light will flourish. In order for good to persevere, people must learn self-forgiveness and redemption.