Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings.” This quote by Heinrich Heine captures the core of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, a novel about a future where books are banned and firemen burn them. It is set in a dystopian society where the government controls information and discourages intellectualism. The story follows a fireman, Guy Montag, who starts questioning his role after meeting a curious girl named Clarisse. In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury develops the theme of censorship through Guy Montag meeting Clarisse, the education system, and the character’s reactions to literature, highlighting the negative impact of a censored society. Montag meeting Clarisse, a character that has not conformed to the government’s wishes, shows him …show more content…
After having a conversation with Clarisse, Montag thinks to himself, “How rarely do other people’s faces take of you and throw back to you your own expression, your own innermost trembling thought?” (Bradbury 8). Montag meeting Clarisse plays a major role in his understanding of censorship in society. Clarisse’s willingness to have meaningful conversations with him greatly contrasts what Montag is used to while talking to people. This interaction serves as Montag’s awakening to censorship because it is when he realizes the rarity of genuine interactions. Later in the novel Montag finds out that Clarisse has died, and he starts wondering if the government had something to do with her death. He tells Mildred, “And men like Beatty are afraid of her. I can’t understand it, but I can. Why should they be so afraid of someone like her?” (Bradbury 64).” Montag notices that people like Beatty are afraid of Clarisse because free thinkers threaten the controlled order of the government. After being exposed to Clarisse’s genuine nature, he struggles to understand why her qualities are being seen as