“If you don’t want a man unhappy politically. Don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none.” -Beatty, Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
In other words, censorship plays quite a large role throughout the dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451 (1951) Even though this book was written almost seventy years ago, its themes of the balance of knowledge and ignorance and the varieties of self censorship are just as relevant in society today as they were 67 years ago.
Fahrenheit 451 is a book in which the main character Guy Montag is a firefighter, although, not the kind you would expect. Rather than putting out fires, he burns books. Around the world, the burning of books was quite common in the 50s,
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Whether it is conscious or unconscious, it still plays a part in the plot and development in the characters and society of Fahrenheit 451. The censorship present in the novel is centered around the censorship of books, but on another level, individual thoughts. As a matter of fact, Beatty represents conscious censorship throughout the story. In the past, he turned to books, (despite the fact that they were illegal), for a very long time. But, when tragedy struck in his personal life, he could no longer find solace in the books he once cherished, and, as a result turned away out of his own will.
On the other end of the spectrum is Mildred. Mildred, throughout the book, unconsciously censors herself from reality again and again, to the point that she may not even be capable of uncensoring herself and becoming truly knowledgeable.
“She had both ears plugged with electronic bees that were humming the hour away...She was an expert at lip reading from...apprenticeship at Seashell ear-thimbles.” She abandons herself to the distraction of the “parlor families,” seashell ear-thimbles, and mindless entertainment. further and further disconnecting herself from what is