Control Of Society In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Society’s Tools to Control Us
How society controls individuals is seen in everyday life in most places that any person may visit on an average day. The book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, written in 1953, is set in in the future. The book’s concept is about how books were banned and it explained how life was changed without books. It has many fictional examples of how society controls individuals in real life even today. However, they might be seen as slightly exaggerated. There are many documentaries and articles that explain and warn of the power society can have over an individual, and how the people must guard themselves against it. Society controlling individuals is shown Fahrenheit 451 and the modern world through media, peer

Peers make a set of unwritten laws that most people follow out of fear of being shunned. Peer pressure can also be explained as a tool to control individuals in society, for example, “In essence, society controls us by rewarding us when we conform, and penalizing us when we don’t. We learn at a very early age that we have to “go along to get along”. (Whittaker, Liam S. "Society Controls Us." CSGlobe.) Peer Pressure is being shown in Fahrenheit 451 is when Montag (a reformer in the books society), talks politics with his wife’s brainwashed friends, “...said Mrs. Bowles. ‘I voted last election, same as everyone, and I laid it on the line for President Noble…’” (Fahrenheit 451, Page 93). The peer pressure of everyone else voting for President Noble forced Mrs. Bowles to vote for him too. Not only was it everyone else voting for Noble, it was the way people thought about other persons. All together, peer pressure is one of the greatest tools ever used by society to control individuals. Also, a reason Mrs. Bowles voted the way she did is because she didn’t know what the presidential nominees did and what they stood for, and that bring us to another method used by society. Ignorance, not knowing the truth behind why something is

This can also be rephrased as ‘it is nice not to know, because people do not feel the obligation to fix’. People naturally want justice. However, when people do not know when justice is not being served they are helpless to do anything about it. This is touched upon in a Scientific Research Publishing Inc. article. “I shall emphasize this aspect of the circumstances of justice by assuming that the parties take no interest in one another’s interest...Thus, one can say, in brief, that the circumstances of justice obtain whenever mutually disinterested persons put forward conflicting claims...” (Relation between Individual and Society, by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.) So, justice is only achieved if both parties or persons reveal their different claims. However, what usually happens is one party does not reveal their claims, which results in injustice. On top of that one or more parties are left in ignorance about the other which induces a halt of progression to justice. Then, the people get tired and began to not care, sequentially causing control to easily be taken over people in society. This is shown in the scene toward the end of Fahrenheit 451: “‘Montag, don't move!’" said a voice from the sky. The camera fell upon the victim, even as did the Hound. Both reached him simultaneously. The victim was seized by Hound and camera in a great spidering, clenching grip. He screamed. He screamed. He screamed!