Fahrenheit 451 Critical Lens Essay

The Positive Force of Knowledge “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle,” said Father James Keller. Knowledge is an act of understanding and a source of power, our whole society is based upon knowledge and critical thinking. Although it is sometimes used as a weapon, knowledge can be used for good too. Throughout the book Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury shows that the power of knowledge is positive through his characters beliefs, thoughts, and experiences in the story. Bradbury shows the idea of knowledge being a positive influence through his characters beliefs. Throughout the story, knowledge is seen as an destructful and evil source that makes almost all people miserable besides a few ‘woke’ people. Being taught from a young age, many people in the world of Fahrenheit 451

Although when Montag visits Faber, Faber talks about how books aren’t important but the words inside them are: “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” (Bradbury 78). Although knowledge is important, it has become obsolete in the world of Fahrenheit 451. Faber though, being a past English professor, believes that knowledge is something that is necessary to the human brain and decides to share some with Montag. By experiencing Faber’s thoughts and opinions, Montag starts to shift from being consumed by conformity to understanding the world around him. With this understanding Montag goes through a massive character arc and ends up wiser in the end taking Faber’s place in inspiring people. Faber, as a whole, embraces the idea of positive knowledge, and how it can be used for good intentions and help in important situations. Furthermore, Faber