Individuality In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Sue Cho Calcaterra May 10, 2024 English 11H.

Individuality is an unspoken natural right; having distinctness and uniqueness is what builds a person. Imagine a society in which all people are the same. Only names can distinguish the difference between people, and technology and censorship control each individual. In fact, a future without books is also plausible, considering the influence of technology today. A national reading survey by Scholastic reveals that children today lose interest in reading before they turn 10. Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, serves as a warning to the possible future of American society under the influence of technology, governmental censorship, and totalitarianism. Bradbury stressed the importance of individuality

During the Holocaust in Germany, students were encouraged by the government to burn ideas of Jewish and blacklisted American authors. This caused an uprising of protests from Americans and authors. “Many writers called to mind the prophetic observation by 19th century German writer Heinrich Heine that "where one burns books, one will soon burn people" (Book Burnings in Germany, 1933, 2). In Fahrenheit 451, Beatty, a book burning fireman, ultimately burns to death. Captain Beatty himself was a symbol of fire as a destructive source. Ironically enough, Beatty used books to manipulate the main character, Guy Montag. Helen Keller was one of many involved authors who confronted German students, writing, “History has taught you nothing if you think you can kill ideas. Tyrants have tried to do that often before, and the ideas have risen up in their might and destroyed them. You can burn my books and the books of the best minds in Europe, but the ideas in them have seeped through a million channels and will continue to quicken other minds” (Book Burnings in Germany, 1933, 2). This quote can directly relate to the characters in Fahrenheit 451, one of which is Faber. Although trapped in a society in which literature is forbidden, Faber is one

Faber is a character that motivates Montag to regain individuality and think for himself. As Montag escapes the city, he encounters ‘The Book People.’ These are individuals who memorize entire works of literature in secret in order to one day reintroduce their stories and ideas to society. This can be related to Helen Keller- although the stories themselves may be restricted, people who have read these stories will continue to spread their ideas. Bradbury’s novel is an indictment of censorship of ideas through books. This can be found as a new perspective and a learning experience for future generations. However, Fahrenheit 451 has ironically been censored and/or banned from some American schools. “In 1967, Ballantine Books published a special edition of the novel to be sold in high schools. Over 75 passages were modified to eliminate such words as hell, damn, and abortion, and two incidents were eliminated” (Censorship History of Fahrenheit 451, 1). Not only was the novel censored by the publisher, but it was marketed this way for 13 years before the author was aware. Fahrenheit 451 was purposefully written to warn future generations. The censorship and expulsion of this novel