Similarities Between Anthem And Fahrenheit 451

How does the power of an evil, controlling government negatively affect the lives of numerous humans in a society? In Anthem, by Ayn Rand, the communist government takes away one’s individuality by coercing the characters to obey strict rules and forcing the members of society to work only as a group. Equality, the protagonist, struggles to find joy and satisfaction in conforming to society’s demands, and encounters conflict as he comes to realize the flaws in his civilization. By comparison, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 illustrates the dangers of the unnatural dependency on technology that causes citizens to be ignorant and shallow in order for the government to control their thoughts and actions. As the story progresses, the main character,

In the novella Anthem, Equality demonstrates a desire to learn, and although his teachers reprimand this action, he declares, “We wish to know...We asked so many questions that the Teachers forbade it” (Rand 23). Furthermore, Equality wonders, “what— even if we have to burn for it…what is the Unspeakable Word?”, epitomizing his determination to unveil society’s secret regardless of the consequences (Rand 51). His statements establish conflict within himself as he yearns for clandestine knowledge, but recognizes that society forbids his ardor. Similarly, in Fahrenheit 451, Montag begins to doubt the government’s views on literature, proved when he states, “There must be something in those books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house” (Bradbury 51). Montag’s proclamations introduce a battle within himself because he must now decide whether to conform to society’s ban on literary works or transgress by exploring a book’s contents. Because the government in both Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 restrict certain knowledge from its citizens, Equality and Montag face the internal conflicts of deciding whether to comply with society’s dictums or to contravene laws in order to find this