Fahrenheit 451 Knowledge Quotes

Fahrenheit 451, a novel written by Ray Bradbury, is set in a fictional dystopian world of the future. The main character in the story, Guy Montag, is a respected fireman. However, in this era, firemen are government workers who start fires and burn banned books, instead of putting fires out, destroying years maybe decades worth of knowledge. Guy Montag’s society restricts the access of books to the public, limiting their understanding of ideas, thoughts, and emotions. In this novel, people labeled as misfits and outcasts are those who read and think. Punishments and mistreatments are inflicted on those who stand away from the rest intellectually because they read books. Ray Bradbury speaks to the reader through the dialogue and actions of Montag

Like every other fireman in Montag’s community, Montag loved his job. Montag voices, “It was a pleasure to burn [books]. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 1). A quote supporting the fact that book burning was not only a job to Montag but a passion. Information citizens know are derived from the government, and since the citizens also have no access to books, they can only rely on information from the government. Citizens in Montag’s world do not question the government because they are unaware of the contents of books, which have been censored from them. Additionally, purging society of books destroys years and decades worth of precious information retaining the world’s history. During a conversation with Clarisse McClellan and Montag, Clarisse asked, “ ‘Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?’ ‘No. Houses have always been fireproof, take my word for it’ ”(Bradbury 6). This simple question proves how uneducated people are on the topic of history. Because Montag, a man with ten years of experience as a fireman, cannot remember a past without fire-proof houses. The government’s decision in eliminating books entirely from their world resulted in limited information people retain and understand. Ignorance and mental deficiencies are outcomes from the restriction