Through the entirety of Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, nearly every rebellious thought, action, and revelation that displayed Montag's character growth can stem from his relationship with Clarisse McClellan. It was through the inspiration and prodding of the ebulliently curious teen that prompted Montag to start making changes in his life by simply allowing himself to really think about things. She was the one who truly opened his eyes to the world, causing him to loathe what his society had become, and tread the path of self-discovery. Be as it may that there were other figures of inspiration that helped guide Montag later on in the novel, such as Faber and Granger, it is all thanks to Clarisse that Montag's initially suppressed character
People who travel abroad seem to enjoy sending back reports on what people are like in various countries they visit. A variety of national stereotypes is part and parcel of popular knowledge. Italians are said to be "volatile," Germans "hard-working," the Dutch "clean," the Swiss "neat," the English "reserved," and so on. The habit of making generalizations about national groups is not a modern invention. Byzantine war manuals contain careful notes on the department of foreign populations, and Americans still recognize themselves in the brilliant national portrait drawn by Alexis de Tocqueville more than 100 years ago.
The second similarity is that both Montag and Katniss object to their societies in the end. Later in Fahrenheit 451, Montag becomes open about reading books and poetry. When his wife’s friends come over, he forces them to listen to poetry despite the trouble that he could get into. Bradbury revealed ow nervous Montag must have been through the text: “... In a low, stumbling voice that grew firmer and firmer as he progressed from line to line…”
Fahrenheit 451: Seek More than What The Eyes Allow Imagine living in a world, where ignorance triumphed knowledge. A society where thinking was prohibited, and was seen to be the root to unhappiness, because it was deemed to be the source of ideas that could go against the concept of conformity. In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury creates a dystopian society where knowledge was not fundamental and books were seen to be a threat to their community. In the book, Guy Montag, a fireman who seems to be satisfied with his current life, and the job of burning books.
Obedience and Conformity "Without obedience to a relevant ruling authority there could not be a civil society" (Meyer 10). To have a successful nation or society, you need an authority or ruler. People don't always choose to obey or listen, but most do because they think that is what is best for them. When one chooses to go against their morals and what they believe it becomes that the government is taking advantage of them.
Human Opression The oppression and human misery that can define what a dystopian society is, can be found within the novels Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Divergent by Veronica Roth. The setting that Ray Bradbury gives to the novel, Fahrenheit 451, can be described as manipulating, ironic and unethical. This novel gives us an insight of what the effect of books have on us and how the world would be if everyone was taught to believe that books were only made because there is “not enough hurt in the world” (Bradbury 101). Veronica Roth sets the novel, Divergent, in a futuristic society where people are divided into “factions”. At a certain age, adolescents are to take a “stimulation” in which they are told what faction they belong to.
To comfort her friend into obediently listening to Montag’s book of poetry, Mrs. Phelps remarks that “‘if we listen nice, Mr. Montag will be happy and then maybe we can go on and do something else’” (95). Even though Mrs. Phelps isn’t agreeing to follow the majority in this circumstance, she still is promoting submission through conformity to a person in a position of power. She attempts to make listening to literature, a highly illegal crime in their society, seem like no big deal by using positive language like “nice” and “happy.” Those words put a positive spin on submission of self, all in hopes that “Mr. Montag will be happy.”
Don’t judge a book by its cover, which is the cliche saying. Reading a book and retaining the knowledge given is important for any society. When one reads, they retain knowledge from the book, newspaper, or article that can be crucial to a society’s success. There are many ways one can retain knowledge. The most crucial thing for a society’s survival is reading.
“A time to keep silent and a time to speak,” (158) is a quote from the book Fahrenheit 451. This novel is all about how people conform to a society that burns books. They do so because they make people “think” thoughts that the government doesn’t want them to. Though there are some who are not conformed and read books to enlighten themselves to the ways of the past, that changes the way they see the present. Mildred, Faber, and Clarisse are characters that represent different aspects of conformity or nonconformity in the Fahrenheit 451 society.
Books have a history of impacting the views of the masses, influencing thought and bringing about the most spectacular inventions; the Bible, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Republic, and so many more. With books playing such a role in society, it is hard to imagine a world without literature. This is the goal of Ray Bradbury’s book, Fahrenheit 451: to explore a world where reading is outlawed, and to show how books, or the lack of, change the way people feel and connect. The general people who do not read, including the protagonist, Guy Montag, seem discontent with their lives and derive no real joy. Conversely, the readers and the thinkers are kinder, bolder, and humorous; Faber and Clarise, for example, leave powerful impacts on Montag with their thinking.
Tessa LaForge Mrs. Zvanut Honors English II 21 May, 2024 Conformity for comfort: Conformity in Fahrenheit 451. Fahrenheit 451, a novel written by Ray Bradbury, takes place in a future society where books are not allowed and if you are caught with them they are burnt by firemen. Firemen in this society do not save things from fire, they cause fires.
Do you choose to conform? or is it something you do without even thinking about it? Conformity is a theme consistently found throughout Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. In Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury illustrates how conformity is not always a choice and not conforming is a choice through the characters Montag, Faber and Mildred. Some people spend their entire life conforming to society, and can not imagine what being an independant thinker is.
Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 draws connections between the tension of Montag internal doubt and external conformity, to the themes of censorship, freedom, and individuality. The novel concludes with Montag’s exploration of freedom of reading and exploring with the intellectuals in the woods. The ending creates such solitude for Montag and us as readers, because it eliminates fears one might have with self-discovery. The themes of censorship in the novel, inform us as readers to be more alert of how much control people can have over us. Bradbury wants us to be aware of how much people can influence us with force, because we should be individuals freely.
The nature of conformity and individualism in Fahrenheit 451 is different compared to each other. Conformity is how everyone is in the novel while individualism is only shown outside of society. The true nature of conformity is that everyone is created equally while individualism shows what a real person is. In the novel, Montag was a character that was affected by conformity and individualism since he was once conformed in society, but then soon became an individual himself. Conformity and Individualism are polar opposites and that everyone should be unique in their own way.
In the novel Fahrenheit 451 conformity and individuality is something to talk about. Conformity and individuality are very important themes in Fahrenheit 451 and in modern life. The novel demonstrates how individuality is very rare. Is about modern America. Without individuality today, everyone would not be different and would follow someone else trends and everything about them.
