Fahrenheit 451 Censorship Essay

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Books are banned throughout the world for a multitude of reasons. One such instance was that of the 1984 novel by George Orwell which was banned in the Soviet Union for being anti-communism and in the United States for being pro-communism. Censorship is something that has been an all too common reality throughout world history, whether it entails restricting ideas, beliefs, facts, books, or more. The censorship of books is one of the main topics explored by Ray Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451. The novel takes place in a society estranged by technology and where the job of a fireman has changed into finding and burning books. One such fireman is 30-year-old Guy Montag, who goes through a journey where his worldview is shattered and he begins to notice the problems …show more content…

It’ll be even more fun when we can afford to have the fourth wall installed. How long do you figure before we save up and get the fourth wall torn out and a fourth wall TV put in? It’s only two thousand dollars.” Montag is against this idea, arguing that two thousand dollars is equivalent to one third of his yearly pay and that they are still in debt from the last wall-TV that they had installed only two months prior. Mildred is unfazed by his reasoning and continues to badger him. It doesn’t matter to her or those around her that it would be unwise to spend exorbitant amounts of money on unnecessary commodities. Instead, the only thing that matters to people is that those around them have something and they want to be one of those people. Modern society is also guilty of this frame of mind, willing to do anything and pay exorbitant amounts of money in order to qualify as part of the elite. They conform to the ideals and wishes of those around them, regardless of the dangers and consequences that they hold. A society that has become riddled with the holes of censorship, ignorance, and conformity is quickly heading towards