Dystopian Society in The Fahrenheit 451

As once mentioned by Dr. Seuss, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” The novella Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is essentially about a futuristic dystopian society that subjugated the population.  The novella was written in the 1950’s during the McCarthy era when many Americans were falsely accused of being communists and trying to subvert the United States government. Additionally, this was also during the Cold War and the moment television become mass communication’s domain medium. Fahrenheit 451 basically reflects the period it is set in, which is an era where focusing on how originality and individual independence are compressed by the advertising industry and by governmental ideology. The main character Montag is a fireman whose job is to burn books, and with them, the ideas they contain. At the beginning of the novella, Montag’s mindset is closed; he accepts the society as it is. 

Every individual is expected to think the same, and at first, Montag does not believe this is a problem. But as the novella continues, Montag’s mindset begins to shift. The transformation of Montag from a closed-minded individual into an open minded one was influenced by Professor Faber and Clarisse. Professor Faber taught Montag not only to read the text that is given to him, but to deeply understand the meaning behind the text. As once mentioned by Professor Faber, “it’s not the books you need, it’s some of the things that once were in books. The same things could be in the ‘parlor families’ today. The same infinite detail and awareness could be projected through the radios and televisions, but are not” (Bradley, 39). As Professor Faber stated, it’s not only the books that the society needs but it’s the knowledge that is coming from the books that needs to be obtained and digested. Initially, the media displays incompetent information to entertain individuals, but not to educate individuals. With the help of books, they give individuals a deeper thought that cannot be discovered through entertainment but within readings. Since Montag is a fireman, whose jobs is to burn out books, due to the society he lives in he gets useful information from the radio rather than books because in a dystopian society, books are prohibited and media is encouraged. With this being said, Professor Faber played a role in Montages transformation because Faber basically led a pathway for Montag to have a different perspective in life, rather than him being the typical individual in a dystopian society who accepts life in one spectrum. 

Another individual that also contributed in Montag’s transformation was Clarisse. She had the greatest influence on Montag’s transformation. When Clarisse first meet Montag, although she was a young individual, she was filled with great energy and was always inquisitive among the people she interacted with. As once mentioned by Clarisse, “Are you happy?” (Bradley, 10). As Clarisse stated, she basically asked Montag if he is happy with his life. However, while Clarisse askes such question, Montag begins to realize that he is not satisfied with happiness especially with his job as a fireman, his wife, in terms of the way how separated they have become and by the way the society in which he lives in operates. With this being said, with the help of Clarisse, Montag was able to became think really caution able his life because he has been through a series of events where it made him step outside his comfort zone. For instance, when Montag first encountered a where a fireman burned the house of an old woman who did not only refuses to leave her books, but started the fire herself in which concluded to her ending her life. However, because of this event, Montag begins to question the old women actions, especially by committing suicide with pride due to the value of books. As Montag connects ties with both books and the old lady in the fire, he eventually began to realize the importance of book can play in one’s life. 

As a recap, Clarisse and Professor Faber both played an essentially role in the transformation of Montag. Both characters transformed Montag from having a closed mindset to an open mind, due to the situations he has been through whether it is by a family situation or a social situation, Montag was able to surpass the obstacle he faced. With the help of all the obstacles he faced, he was able to have his own perspective in life, rather than being the typical individual in a dystopian society, where they were taught, told, think and behave in a certain way. Montag was a able to think independently as a human being and to make decisions on his own rather than second guessing himself of the people that did not like his point of view on certain things.