Conformity And Individuality In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

With a plethora of books on varying subject matters, the world of literature is almost endless. Quality books and authors often camouflage further meaning behind a character, theme or symbol providing a treasure for readers willing to search. Ray Bradbury includes a hidden treasure in his novel Fahrenheit 451 by contrasting two of his main characters. The overall message of the story describes a futuristic society with many technological advancements, and the prohibition of books, where Ray Bradbury shows how devastating a society is with mindless technology and lack of quality literature and interactions. However, by exploring the juxtaposition between the characters Mildred and Clarisse, a further meaning can be found through their differing

In Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury created two female characters: Mildred Montag and Clarisse McClellan. Mildred and Clarisse were brought to exist in many different ways and are very different people; although they do share some similarities.

In Fahrenheit 451, depression caused Guy Montag to become irrational. Ray Bradbury who is the author of Fahrenheit 451 simulated a world, where depression causes Guy Montag to choose irrational actions. Ray Bradbury shows the reader the importance of depression by creating a character named Guy Montag, who begins to question everything he has ever known, and slowly sinks into a depression.

In the book Fahrenheit 451, we are introduced to two characters with two very different,

“A time to keep silent and a time to speak,” (158) is a quote from the book Fahrenheit 451. This novel is all about how people conform to a society that burns books. They do so because they make people “think” thoughts that the government doesn’t want them to. Though there are some who are not conformed and read books to enlighten themselves to the ways of the past, that changes the way they see the present. Mildred, Faber, and Clarisse are characters that represent different aspects of conformity or nonconformity in the Fahrenheit 451 society.

Conformity and individuality are very important themes in Fahrenheit 451 and in modern life. The novel demonstrates how individuality is very rare. Is about modern America. Without individuality today, everyone would not be different and would follow someone else trends and everything about them. In the society of Fahrenheit 451, people would stick to desires of others, so that they are not left alone by society. They would look for answers in books of what was the purpose for their life. In Fahrenheit 451 people who express their individuality find themselves as social outcasts, and are at worst in real danger.

John Dos Passos once said, “Individuality is freedom lived.” The root of individuality lies in freedom. Without freedom, there is an inability to think for oneself and share one’s ideas. In a society where this freedom is lacking, people will not think for themselves and submit to whatever rule is enforced over them. In Fahrenheit 451, the government attempts to control freedom as a means towards reaching a perfect society. The “perfect” society that is created, comes at the cost of individuality. In Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451, the individuality of the citizens is threatened by the amount of government control in their lives, and can be seen through the Utopian goals, the government punishments, and the citizens’ conformity in response to this.

(MIP-2) From certain experiences, Montag comes to realize that he’s not actually happy with his life because he discovers that it lacks genuine, valuable, or humane relationships, eventually driving him to find the truth about his society by making him think about and question it. (SIP-A) Montag realizes from his experiences with Clarisse that his relationships in his life lack genuity, value, or humanity. (STEWE-1) From one of his first experiences with Clarisse, Montag feels something that he realizes he never felt before in his daily life. He ponders to himself, "How rarely did other people's faces take of you and throw back to your own expression, your own innermost trembling thought?" (Bradbury 8). What Montag is pondering about is how she behaved so attentive and natural towards

Fahrenheit 451 is a novel written by Ray Bradbury. It is considered to be dystopian fiction which is used to display different social structures throughout the book. Published in 1953, this story takes place in a futuristic city in the United States of America. Books are illegal to own and anyone in possession of them will have to get them burnt. That is the job a the firefighters.

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a uniquely shocking and provocative novel about a dystopian society set in a future where reading is outlawed, thinking is considered a sin, technology is at its prime, and human interaction is scarce. Through his main protagonist, Guy Montag, Bradbury brings attention to the dangers of a controlled society, and the problems that can arise from censorship. As a fireman, it is Guy's job to destroy books, and start fires rather than put them out. After meeting a series of unusual characters, a spark is ignited in Montag and he develops a desire for knowledge and a want to protect the books. Bradbury's novel teaches its readers how too much censorship and control can lead to further damage and the repetition of history’s mistakes through the use of symbolism, imagery, and motif.

Two pieces by Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 and The Veldt, both share the theme that society and technology shouldn’t affect the actions people take, however, this theme is portrayed differently in each novel.

Three characters that are affected by the simplistic technologically advanced society the novel takes place in are Mildred, Fabre, and Clarisse. Mildred’s alienation can be seen through her failing relationship with her husband, Guy Montag. Their relationship is deprived of love, and is also very shallow and materialistic as Mildred ends up guilting Guy into spoiling her. This can be seen when she says to him, “It’ll be more even more fun when we can afford to have the fourth wall installed … It’s only two thousand dollars.” (Bradbury 18). This shows how Mildred is alienated from her own husband, due to being too consumed by the technologically advanced society they live in. Mildred is also oppressed, and ends up overdosing trying to commit suicide to escape her own loneliness. Clarisse McCellen is also an example of how the dystopian society alienates people. This is because a standard has been built into everyone’s minds that if you critically think and are intellectual, you are considered different. This is the case for Clarisse, as she ends up being alienated from her friends who reject her and call her crazy. Clarisse is extremely intelligent but she is living is a lazy and simplistic world where she is demised. This rejection and alienation lead to her eventual suicide. The warped guidelines of the society can be seen when Clarisse says, “I’m antisocial, they say. I

Children are the most pure examples of the human race. They have not been flawed by societal norms; they are still purely themselves. The pure nature of children is miles away from the beaten down attitude of adults. Adults have seen the pain of reality, and it has caused them to stray from their original state. When the two groups meet, sometimes incredible things happen. In the case of the elderly, sometimes working with young children can bring them seemingly back to their younger selves. In worlds where interaction between people is bleak and often nonexistent, teenagers offer a contrast that can make adults curious again. And in a world so filled with meaningless pain that almost all lose hope, children are there to make them rethink

In Ray Bradbury’s dystopian Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag experiences a paradigm shift as he transforms from a disoriented fireman to a learner who wants to gain knowledge through literature. Montag struggles with his newfound fascination with what was once trivial items because of his inability to ask questions under the bonds of conformity. However, the society prohibits people from reading for fear that they would express individuality and perhaps even rebel once they gain knowledge. Through the use of characterization and diction, the Bradbury demonstrates Montag’s desire for individuality and the society’s command of conformity in order to build a suspenseful mood, which keeps the reader’s interest.

People rely on technology. Technology has become so necessary in the daily lives of individuals such that their lives depend and revolve around it. However, becoming too reliant on electronics lead to one’s downfall. Similarly, in Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, people willingly isolate themselves in their fantasies due to such devices. Thus, the limitations from technology and the minimization of human innovation and communication become apparent. The images on the TV screens influence and captivate human mind and nature, similar to the masses in Montag’s society because it suffices as an escape from the world, a sweet, ignorant paradise from the harsh reality of life, as well as a threat to education and humane interaction.