Fahrenheit 451

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses science fiction to speak out against censorship and the effect it could have on society.
Guy Montag, the main character of Fahrenheit 451, is a fireman. This job is a direct result of censorship. It was created because certain people found certain books offensive so the government decided to censor them. Book after book was banned as people became offended by more and more books. Eventually all literature was banned. Montag’s job was to burn these books. As a result, society has been “dumbed down” and is no longer capable of intelligent and deep thought. They live their lives in ignorance and do as their told. A prime example of what society has become is Mildred, Montag’s wife. She spends her entire day watching television, unaware of what’s going on around her. She spends so much time doing so that she’s come to call the characters “the family.” In fact, towards the end of the novel she reports Montag’s possession of literature. As she’s about to drive away in a cab right before Montag is forced to burn down his own home all she could seem to care about is the fact that the televisions are about to be burned. As the cab is about to leave she says “poor family,” completely disregarding the fact that she has just sent her husband to jail.
There are some members of society who are aware of what’s going on around them. Clarisse is an example. In fact, she is the one to open Montag’s eyes to what’s happening, even though she is much younger than him. Montag met her one day on the way home from work. She asked him if he’s happy. At first he found the question amusing, but that night he realized he’s not. That night Mildred overdosed on sleeping pills because she had forgotten how many she had taken. He realized how miserable he truly is. Him and his wife sleep in different beds and she’s always either watching television or listening to her seashell radio. He can’t talk to her and later he realizes he doesn’t love her... [continues]

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