Censorship In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

What if we lived in a world where we were unable to read or own books and our houses were burned if we did? This may seem like a society that we would never want to live in however there are people this day in age that face this. There are numerous countries that censor any type of free-thinking along with any knowledge that can be gained. Fahrenheit 451 may seem like an alternate reality however it showcases what some people deal with today. Throughout history censorship has played a part, dating back to the Middle Ages and continuing until present day. Fahrenheit 451 is set in the future but was written in a time where censorship and willful ignorance were at its peak. The themes of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 play an integral role in analyzing

“It was a pleasure to burn” (Bradbury, pg. 1) These men enjoyed their job and got an adrenaline rush from burning homes. Books are portrayed as evil and causing problems within the society because they promote thinking and creativity. Bradbury focus on one character throughout the novel, a fireman named Guy Montag. He is a firefighter that does the opposite of a fireman’s job in the real world. The society does not read but rather entertains themselves with televisions and radios attached to their ears. They do not hold meaningful conversations or engage in any other activities besides watching television. Montag does stumble upon a young girl one day that seems strange but ended up asking him about his work and life. She also asked “Are you happy?” (Bradbury, pg. 10) This developed a new way of thinking for Montag where he began to question his work and the meaning behind the book burning. After meeting Clarisse, traumatic events begin to occur around Montag. His wife tries to commit suicide by taking prescriptions pills then a woman who was hiding books in her home decides to burn alive

“One of the most widely publicized censorship cases of the 1950s, censorship were prominent themes of the McCarthy era, a time in which books or films that dealt with race issues were often attacked as Communist propaganda.” (Robbins, pg. 331) Fahrenheit 451 and this era occurred at the same time, this was Bradbury’s point behind the story. He created a fiction novel that ended up mimicking the world’s problems during that current time. A dystopian society was created where there was unhappiness and sorrow, the people just led their lives and did not question. “So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life. The comfortable people want only wax moon faces, pore less, hairless, expressionless. We are living in a time when flowers are trying to live on flowers, instead of growing on good rain and loan. Even fireworks, for all their prettiness, come from chemistry of the earth. Yet somehow, we can grow, feeding on flowers and fireworks, without completing the cycle back to reality.” (Bradbury, pg. 79) Fahrenheit 451 and the real world can be summed up by this