ipl-logo

Censorship In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

1828 Words8 Pages

Imagine waking up one morning and not even remembering how you met your wife who you’ve been married to for ten years. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury a fireman named Guy Montag lives in a futuristic dystopian society where firefighters ignite flames instead of extinguish them. The vast majority of people living in this society have been completely censored from the history of their society and what has truly happened in the past. The people in this society do not think independently, enjoy nature, or even have meaningful conversations. Instead, they drive very fast cars, are constantly listening to the radio with devices called Seashell Radios as well as are consumed by television screens the entire day. Guy begins to rethink …show more content…

People oftentimes say comments online that they would never say to someone in person, but they feel more secure since they are not physically there. In addition to this, the author also tries to communicate the theme of censorship in the novel. Throughout the book there are several instances in which the author expresses his opinion on these themes in society. One example of this is when Guy first meets Clarisse and she asks, “‘Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them’” (Bradbury 6)? Guy is completely appalled by the fact that someone would think this and he assures her that houses have always been fireproof and never were firemen like that. One can infer that Captain Beatty, who works for the government, had ingrained this thought so much into his mind that he would not believe any other opinion on the topic. This portrays how the government is able to create and control their ideal society by censoring certain information and knowledge to the public. Oftentimes, the government will censor certain pieces of information in order to benefit themselves. The author believes that society has become so entranced with specific items that the government has censored, that people have forgotten the importance of the past. People have been transforming into a new society which is operated and controlled completely by the government. The themes of technology and censorship are communicated in several different ways throughout the novel that allow the reader to understand the author’s point of

Open Document