Fahrenheit 451

Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, was written at the onset of the fifties as a call to the American people to reflect on how the dominant social values of their times were effecting both the lives of individual Americans and their government. Fahrenheit 451 attacks utopian government and focuses on society's foolishness of always being politically correct. (Mogen 113). According to Mogen, Fahrenheit 451 depicts a world in which the American Dream has turned into a nightmare because it has been superficially understood. (Mogen 107) In order to understand Bradley's social critique, it is essential to realize that he wrote Fahrenheit 451 in the wake of World War II and the early days of the Cold War, in a political climate that was increasingly favoring security over the civil liberties of individuals (Mogen 124, 114). Due to the Cold War, Americans continuously felt threatened by the idea of communism and the idea of hostility from communist countries (Mogen 115). Any association with communism would immediately ostracize an American politician (Mogen 115). In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury displays a futuristic utopian society where "the people did not read books, enjoy nature, spend time by themselves, think independently, or have meaningful conversations." (Mogen 111). About sixty years later, some would argue that our society has been guilty of similar downfalls. (Book Rags) The government in Fahrenheit 451 bans books because they do not appreciate the thoughts books created peoples minds. Bradbury's society was to afraid to offend groups of people through literature.(Challenging Destiny). Bradbury's has an excellent pulse on the faults of American society such as its censorship. The government in Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451 is full of flaws because it searches too hard for the greater good for everyone and neglects many aspects that make a human being.

Written in the years following World War II, Fahrenheit 451 denounces not only the anti-intellectualism of the routed Nazi party in Germany, but more recently the "intellectually repressive political climate of the early nineteen fifties", the time of McCarthyism (Book Rags). During this time many thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private-industry panels, committees and agencies (Book Rags). As stated by Mogen, "Doubts were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence, and the level of threat posed by a person's real or supposed leftist associations or beliefs was often greatly exaggerated" (Mogen 107). Rights such as freedom of press, freedom of speech, and the principle of innocence until proven guilty, were often ignored. (Novel Guide)

During the novel, the reader is presented with a conflict involving knowledge and ignorance. "Is ignorance bliss, or do knowledge and learning provide true happiness?"(Book Rags) Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, would answer the question claiming that knowledge is necessary for happiness, but the society he lives in enjoys its ignorance. (Book Rags) Montag is a "fireman" in his society, and his job is to burn books, because the society he lives in believes that destroying the knowledge found in books is necessary to uphold the uniformity of society. After befriending Clarisse, Montag finds that he cannot accept the basics of his profession, believing that life has more substance that may be lost in books. After making this discovery, Montag fights against ignorance, and tries to help others welcome knowledge into their lives. (Challenging Destiny) For example, when his wife's friends come over, he forces them to listen to poetry to their opposition. (Bradbury 158) Although they become extremely upset after listening to what he reads, they are able to understand true emotion through literature. (Bradbury 158) Montag hopes that this glimpse of emotion that the women saw while reading poetry can provide the women a more meaningful and enlightened life. (Bradbury 159) The governments perceive ignorance as superior because without out knowledge people would not have differing views of principles. (Novel Guide) The government stands for the majority and always is against differing views and against being politically incorrect in fear of upsetting the group. (Book Rags)

The characters in Fahrenheit 451 are a direct reflection of the nature of the government and society. Montag, the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451, is by no means the typical valiant hero. (Challenging Destiny) The reader can often empathize with Montag, because he is a normal person who is fighting for his mission. (Mogen 113). "Faced with the enormity and complexity of books for the first time, he is often confused, frustrated, and overwhelmed." (Challenging Destiny). Although he often takes steps that are confusing and ill-advised, he is incredibly intelligent and manages to trick the mechanical hound, a computerized animal used by the government to punish its enemies. (Book Rags). Montag's faith in his profession and his society begins to decline