Conformity In Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a dystopian novel about a society that believes books need to be burned. The main character, Guy Montag, is a fireman who burns books. Montag never questions his job and finds book burning pleasurable. When Montag meets Clarisse, he starts to question if book burning is a good thing in society. Montag secretly starts to read books and tries to convince other people that what the police are doing is wrong. However, it backfires, and Montag is figuring out what to do now. Ray Bradbury uses characters and groups such as Mildred and the police to demonstrate how dangerous conformity is. Mildred’s actions show that conformity is dangerous and harmful to society. After Montag hears about Clarisse’s death, he feels

‘Is that better?’” (Bradbury 46). Mildred cares more about her TV family than Montag, her husband. Mildred is on the parlor walls so much, she makes an emotional connection with the characters on the TV, calling them family. Being on the parlor walls keeps Mildred distracted from what is happening in the real world, which emotionally disconnects her from her own husband. When Beatty and Montag arrive at Montag’s house after the alarm went off, Montag knows he is caught, but wonders how they found out, then, “...Mildred came down the steps, running... ‘Mildred!’... ‘Mildred, you didn’t put in the alarm!’” (Bradbury 108). Mildred is willing to turn in his own husband since he was hiding books. Mildred obeys the rules the society is supposed to follow, even if it means turning in your loved one. Ray Bradbury uses Mildred to demonstrate that conforming is wrong and that it is important to have the freedom of thought. The police make people believe events that are not accurate and

Don’t think the police don’t know the habits of queer ducks like that, men who walk mornings for the hell of it. Never know when that sort of information might be handy. And today, it turns out, it’s very usable indeed. It saves the face.” (Bradbury 141-142). The police already have a victim in case someone like Montag starts questioning their job. The police tell the people that they have captured Montag, when in reality, they have not found him. People think the hunt is fun, and think of it as a carnival. By Faking the death of Montag, society believes that the police can not be outsmarted. If the police tell the people that they have not found Montag, the people will see them as a failure. Beatty talks to Montag about what the police’s goal and priority is, and tells him that, “...People want to be happy, isn’t that right? Haven’t you heard it all your life? I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren’t they? And you must admit our culture provides plenty of these” (Bradbury 56). Beatty believes that people should be happy without books, that they are not necessary, and that they will cause