Conformity In Fahrenheit 451

In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the main theme of conformity and censorship develops throughout Guy Montag’s experiences as he becomes aware of these things. Conformity of society comes from the censorship that the government tries to subtly implement on it citizens. In Guy becoming aware of these tactics in the favour of the government, he realizes that they attempt to brainwash citizens and make them more complacent, and thus, easier to control. His awakening to these facts allows for him to become aware of the reality of the world that he lives in; brainwashing and falsification are the most relevant aspects of his society. This is evident, as the entirety of Guy’s society is based off of two singular ideas; books are unacceptable, and

For nearly the entirety of his life, Guy follows these standards set in place, and even enforces the ideas everytime he burns books. The possession of books is tightly tied to the questioning of the government and society, something deemed completely unacceptable by most citizens. Conformity is a highly valued aspect of society, something that very few would dare to contradict simply because of the preconceived notions that they hold. Another aspect of society that Guy becomes awakened to is the censorship the government implements on every member of society. Unwilling to sacrifice the security that obliviousness offers them, the government creates falsified Constitution that states that they must “burn English-influenced books in the Colonies. First Fireman: Benjamin Franklin" (Bradbury, 32). An aware society is a society prone to uprisings due to questioning the motives and actions of the rulers. This is the exact thing the founders of the government attempt to prevent. By using the influx of technology based entertainment, they seize the opportunity to let the deeps ideas of the past, encased in the bound spines of

This serves as an advantage to the government as they no longer have any need to worry about the mass gathering and question of the nation’s leader, or the subsequent uprisings that will undoubtedly follow. Guy, as well as the other Firefighter’s obliviousness to these government conspiracies, benefits the leaders greatly. However, it is when citizens like Guy begin to question society that major issues arise for the government. Guy Montag becomes aware of the censorship and mass conformity of the population, as he meets several people who challenge his mindset, opening it for the infiltration of new ideas. This is evident following Guy’s first encounter with Clarisse. Guy’s exclamation of “‘Happy! Of all the nonsense,’’’ (Bradbury, 8) is immediately followed by an abrupt change in his demeanor