Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury: Literary Analysis

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, author Ray Bradbury utilizes themes related to censorship, intellectual freedom, and the power of knowledge to delve into the consequences of a society that suppresses free thought and critical inquiry. The exploration of cultural surroundings serves to illuminate a character’s rebellion against his society due to censorship. The importance of preserving one’s knowledge and individuality is the solution to overpowering governmental control, where suppression of power leads to corruption in a society, and ignorance leads to a loss of individualism and lack of development in a civilization. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is influenced directly by his cultural surroundings; the piece is set in a dystopian society where

As stated in Seed’s article, “The Flight from the Good Life,” symbolism is historically determined and vulnerable to political manipulation, and fire symbolism is no exception. For example: “On the night of 10 May, 1993 Nazi followers destroyed piles of books in German university towns. As the flames rose in the square opposite the University of Berlin the Propaganda Minister Dr. Goebbels praised the gathered throng for ending the "age of extreme Jewish intellectualism " and ushering in the new German era: "From these ashes there will rise the phoenix of a new spirit... The past lies in flames. The future will rise from the flames within our own hearts.” (Seed, 1994, p.236) Bradbury’s novel is the equivalent of such utterances where slogan-like statements by Beatty (“fire is bright and fire is clean”) but the symbolism has come even more rigidly codified in the uniforms and equipment of firemen. The suppression of paper burning at 451 degrees Fahrenheit drives the fear of intellectual freedom in Bradbury’s

This is seen when Captain Beatty states, “They were given the new job, as custodians of our peace of mind, the focus of our understandable and rightful dread of being inferior: official censors, judges, and executors.” (Bradbury, 1953, p.58) Beatty highlights the fact that one of the main reasons for the censorship of books being read or even kept in one’s household was to prevent individuals from knowing the truth of their abilities in learning and comprehending ideas. Similar to Seed’s article, Beatty highlights the role of the firemen, who enforced censorship by burning banned pieces of literature. This outlines a parallel line to the Nazi Regimes, where Nazis used propaganda to manipulate the public as well as censor individual opinions and arguments. The suppression of books in Montag’s society is strongly driven by a desire to control information available to the public eye; an important goal is to eliminate dissent, akin to the Nazi regime’s actions in restraining viewpoints. In essence, Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451, serves as a message focused on the dangers of complacency, suppression of individuality, and conformity in