Preview

Psychoanalytic Analysis Of Fahrenheit 451

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1405 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Psychoanalytic Analysis Of Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 is a novel written by Ray Bradbury exploring the effects of a simplistic society devoid of free thinking and reliant on cheap satisfactions. The story follows a fireman whose job is to burn books and put an end to the sharing of knowledge. The novel reveals the psyche of many of its characters, and also the author. Psychoanalytic theory was created by Sigmund Freud, a famous Austrian psychologist. It is a theory used to explain human behaviour. Psychoanalytic theory states that the id, the ego, and the superego make up the human personality. The id represents the instinctual drive for instant satisfactions. The job of the ego is to fulfill the demands of the id in a safe and socially acceptable way while also considering the ideals of the super ego. The super ego is comprised of the idealistic goals and ideal self one wishes to accomplish. It strives for perfection and morality. In addition, Freud used defence mechanisms such as repression to explain how people cope with difficult emotions. Sigmund Freud’s theories and ideologies can be used to analyse people and literature in order to uncover secrets about the psyche.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In summation, Montag personifies the Hero’s Journey monomyth, as manifested by the journey he embarks on and the insight he attains. Specifically, by the end of the novel, Montag molds into a courageous, passionate, and determined character. Montag’s threshold of adventure begins with his realization of the evils his previous society had been committing and the dire need for transformation in both the world and himself. After overcoming a multitude of complications, Montag is able to obtain a sense of fulfillment, and accordingly restore his society. All in all, Montag’s desire to change the world allowed for a transformation within him, and thus a hero was born. After all, in the end, it is a hero “who finds the strength to persevere and endure…

    • 129 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a book that should be taught in a high school student’s education because of the warnings and important messages it displays. In my opinion, the most important message in the book has to do with the misuse of technology. Bradbury even says himself that technology can be useful in some ways, but that it can’t and shouldn’t replace human connection and interaction. He uses the example of TV’s on all four walls to get his point across that people are paying more attention to TV, rather than actual people speaking to them. This repeatedly happens with Mildred throughout the book and it helps flip a switch in Montag’s head. He finally realizes that’s not how human interaction is supposed to work. It propels…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 is a science fiction novel written by Ray Bradbury in the 1950’s. The book is set somewhere in the United States in the future past the year 1990, as the book states there have been two atomic wars since 1990. Despite it possibly being set in what is modern times today, the story seems to be stuck in the 50’s, with life revolving around television, women being treated as their husband’s property, and advances such as mechanical hounds that administer poison.…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Fahrenheit 451 symbol I created is an atomic bomb with the tail of a book. This represents Montag because he spread knowledge and the importance of books to the society and it ended with the fall of the city. He knew the power of books and people hated him for it. The background is perfect blue skies with clouds because it shows how shielded from the truth people were in the society by the government. they don't even know anything about neighboring cities. “And across the world, thought Montag, how many other cities dead? And here in our country, how many? A hundred, a thousand?” (155) Everyone thought everything was okay and just another war until suddenly the bomb came and decimated everything around them and the intellectuals and montage…

    • 154 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a book set in a dystopian future. It revolves around Guy Montag, a fireman whose job is to burn books, which are forbidden. After talking with Clarisse, a weird girl who lives nearby, he begins to question his life’s work. Why are books so bad? One thing leads to another, and Guy is suddenly takes dangerous steps to save what he once burned.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 essay

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In my opinion, the ending of the book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, blew the reader’s mind. The ending section Burning Bright, had so much detail and explained how the characters changed in the last few moments in the book, it was a very effective way to end this book.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 Analysis

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the main character, Guy Montag, has many different shifts in attitude and thinking. Montag goes from being a mindless, government-operated drone, to a self-sustaining, enlightened thinker. In the beginning of Fahrenheit 451, we are introduced to Montag, a fireman who makes fires instead of putting them out. He sees burning as a pleasure, and he hates books. However, once he meets Clarisse McClellan, his mind begins to blossom like a flower. Therefore, Montag’s ideological progression truly started when he met Clarisse.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Although many may strive to develop a utopian society, this ideal is only an unattainable dream that can never become reality; a wish that can never be brought to life. As many aim for this unrealistic ideal, many utopian societies first appear as is; a perfect society with a flawless government and harmonious people- at least on the surface. But when we are provided with a closer look at this supposed utopian society, it is revealed that, at some point in time, this society slowly began to spiral downwards. It would soon develop into a dystopian society where social values and standards have become greatly distorted and skewed. When applying the themes in this book to our current society, comparisons can be drawn in areas such as technology, social interactions and education in both societies.…

    • 1881 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Montag, the main character begins to question his life when he meets Clarisse. Before his encounter with Clarisse, Montag simply went about his business as a fireman and did as he was told. However, Clarisse challenges Montag to "think" about things, which results in Montag to question his life, his role as a fireman, and the illegality of books. This questioning of who he is and what his society has become separates himself from the norm and his wife, leaving him to be an outcast. Being an outcast, though gives Montag hope and happiness for what is to come for the future.…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Critical Insights Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury edited by Rafeeq O McGivenron, shows that society was a misleading dystopia. It states on page 51, “ Bradbury in his dystopic novel has his character Granger, a former academic, explain to Montag had worn proudly upon his chest during his service as a fireman(163).” This proves that the novel showed a dystopic society which portrayed the main character Montag as a different type of person in society. The article Using Evidence in Practice, written by Andrew Booth also proves that society was unfair and leading to a dystopia through questions, and evidence base to explain the evidence of Fahrenheit 451 being used in the article. It states in the article, “This brief case study of burning question from a realistic health library setting vividly illustrates limitations of the existing evidence base.” This means that the study from the book Fahrenheit 451 questions burning the book questions the author of the article. Both Critical Insights Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury edited by Rafeeq O McGivenron, and, the article Using Evidence in Practice, written by Andrew Booth show that analyzing and reading the information from Fahrenheit 451 society was unfair leading to a…

    • 1568 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine a world where you aren’t allowed to read. Some people may think that this doesn’t really hurt them, but it does. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally. Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, is a book about a dystopian society where books are banned. A dystopia is an imaginary futuristic world in which society lives under the oppression and control of a totalitarian government, a repressive society, a force ot tech, or a corrupt business corporation. The book focuses on the life of Guy Montag, a fireman, whose job is to burn books. His wife, Mildred, is obsessed with technology and doesn’t have enough attention span to have an actual conversation. His only friend is Faber, a retired college professor. Although it is subtle, Bradbury warns us of the domino effect media has on freedom of thought and relationships,then how relationships affect happiness.…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not knowing things is sometimes an award, but it can also be a curse. The same idea is applied to the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury where the government often hides the truth from the people. They do this to keep everyone happy since they think if you do not know about something, you do not have to worry about it. Some people can accept this standard of living, but others feel as if they are missing something like the main character Guy Montag felt as he learned more about books. Montag developed throughout the story to overcome the statement Ignorance is Bliss by the help of many characters but mainly Beatty, Clarisse, and Faber.…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, life loses meaning from the impersonal and muted lifestyle that society offers. The annihilation of books provides the stable environment where ignorance can win over curiosity, leaving innocence in ones mind. When Montag meets Clarisse McClellan, his neighbor with an essence of unusual quality, she introduces a new perspective of life into Montag’s eyes for the first time. From the way she looks at the trees, to the way she walks, something inside of her possess a ravenous urge to learn and explore. Clarisse fascinates Montag almost immediately for she communicates clearly, “Isn’t this a nice time of night to walk?…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 Essay

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the main character Guy Montag makes a complete metamorphosis. He goes from hating books to liking them. He changes from a stolid character, incognizant of the activities in his surroundings, to a person conscious of everything, enlightened by the new world he is exposed to. There are many events that take place in this change in Montag.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When I finished reading this book, I realized that it was nothing like I assumed it would be. To summarize it into one word, I would say it was fascinating. Now many might wonder, why would I use the word fascinating? When you think about the society that Montag lives in, obviously it seems a little extreme to us but is it really so farfetched? The author came up with the idea of this book because there was once a time that book burning was happening more frequently in America. The title of the book, Fahrenheit 451, refers to the temperature at which books ignite, which I did not realize before reading the book. “Burning books—and in the past, their authors as well—that espouse hated ideas is perhaps the oldest form of censorship” (2).…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays