Individuality In Fahrenheit 451

Throughout Fahrenheit 451°, there is a fight between the majority and its scarce outsiders. Anything that may be considered peculiar is shot down by the society’s conservatives. Although it is a tough battle, those who are unique individuals strive to defeat the traditional norm in this novel. The theme of Fahrenheit 451° is individuality versus conformity because individuality is what motivates the protagonist and conformity is one of the main antagonists. First and foremost, individuality is what motivates the protagonist, Guy Montag. Once Montag meets his odd friend, Clarisse, she makes him consider strange ideas, step outside of his comfort zone, and most importantly, she makes him think. Montag is baffled when Clarisse asks, “‘Are you

Montag, now frustrated, begins to question his career, his marriage, and the inculcated society he is living in. When Montag begins to take a serious interest in books, he confides in Faber, a former professor who acts as a mentor to Montag. Faber encourages Montag’s change from a respected fireman to an insurgent maverick, as Faber is also different from the population around them. The two men bond over being social outcasts and plot a way to sabotage other firemen by planting books in their homes. After escaping the broken society, Montag meets Granger, a man with the same peculiarity as Montag. Granger states, “‘We’ve made all the right kind of mistakes, or we wouldn’t be here. When we were separate individuals, all we had was rage.’” (Bradbury 143.), meaning that while living amongst the government-controlled citizens, they were angry and

Throughout the novel, Captain Beatty is determined to make Montag conform and be identical to the citizens living in their society. He does this through propaganda and leaving indirect hints about the dangers of literature and people forming their own opinions. He puts most of his efforts in his speech to Montag where Beatty mentions, “‘A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it.’” (Bradbury 56.), in attempts to normalize the fear of books to Montag and make him view books with the same negativity as every other brainwashed citizen. While already feeling stranded by the majority, the protagonist feels the same isolation at home from his wife, Mildred Montag. Adhering to the technology-craving community, Mildred spends a large portion of her time interacting with the parlor walls or listening to her “seashells”, which are typically clamped tight to her ears, blocking out any external noise. Because of this, Montag cannot spend quality time or even hold a decent conversation with his wife, ruining their relationship and creating an emotional barrier between the two. When Montag is talking with Mildred and her friends, he realizes that her friends have fallen under an illusion of happiness the government has taught them. Montag reads a poem, “Dover Beach”, to the ladies and they all begin to emotionally break down. Their mentalities are not engineered to handle the heavy sentiment “Dover Beach”