Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 Literary Analysis Option Two

Few things are as satisfying as cuddling up with a blanket by the fire with a book or getting lost in the alternate universe a book provides. This pleasantry is beyond reach for the society depicted in Fahrenheit 451. Firemen in the book, Fahrenheit 451, burn books contrary to putting out fires in today’s society. Montag is a fireman struggling with his identity when he works for his boss, Captain Beatty, a strict advocate for censorship. Montag later meets Faber, a retired English professor that has a remarkable knowledge of life and books. Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451, conveys the never-ending battle between censorship and free speech; furthermore, Bradbury illustrates this theme

Bradbury highlights the problems with Beatty and society’s morals. Faber, when explaining the lack of empathy in society, questions, “Do you know the legend of Hercules and Antaeus, the giant wrestler, whose strength was incredible… as he stood firmly on the earth. But when he was held rootless… he perished easily” (Bradbury 109). Faber illustrates the deep-rooted problems in society. Faber hints that without knowledge and intelligence society is useless. Instead of obsessing over technology and consumerism society must educate itself, through independent speech, to be successful. Faber uses an example of flowers to represent society as a whole. Faber highlights, “We are living in a time when flowers, instead of growing on good rain”(Bradbury 108). Faber explains a second allusion to Montag to prove that society lacks new ideas. Flowers represent society endlessly consuming entertainment but no new or unique knowledge. Faber shares the theme of free speech while Beatty believes in censorship and that the government should control citizens. Faber explains, “So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life” (Bradbury 108). Faber utilizes metaphors to show the importance of books. Books illustrate the deep meaning of life and lead to distinctive thoughts and ideas. Beatty and Faber contrast so heavily to allude to the theme of censorship versus free speech. Free speech, which Faber represents throughout the book, leads to these kinds of thoughts while censorship, which Beatty represents, leads to static ideas and