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Deterioration In Fahrenheit 451

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The oppressive and mindless society of submissive followers depicted in Fahrenheit 451 illustrates imprisonment in the cave. Within their distorted community, the human beings willingly allow themselves to be left ignorant in the dark, unknowing of the true beauties and horrors of the world. Plato had described humanity as if “they were in an underground cave-like dwelling with its entrance, a long one, open to the light across the whole width of the cave. They are in it from childhood with their legs and necks in bonds so that they are fixed, seeing only in front of them, unable because of the bond to turn their heads all the way around” (Plato 193). Rendered immobile, they are unable to make their own decisions and have control over their own life. …show more content…

They watch mere shadows on the wall, distorted and controlled images from “puppet-handlers” (Plato 193), who had set a wall between the prisoners and the true world outside of the cave, revealing the shadows of the puppets above the wall, fabricating the truth of the cave. The prisoners “would hold that the truth is nothing other than the shadows of artificial things” (Plato 194). Montag, from birth, had been a thoughtless member of his society, obeying the rules and never questioning why. He was at heart, a fireman. A fireman who had enjoyed to burn words, stories, and creativity, “It was a pleasure to burn . . . to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 1). His community had imprisoned him a world in which everything was for the benefit of an idealistic society where theoretically, everyone is happy, feeding him with lies. Truly a prisoner in a dark cave, Montag accepted the shadows without want for light, “Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame

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