Purpose Of Government In Fahrenheit 451

Unless you are an Anarchist or otherwise, you probably support the idea of having a government. Government has been an integral part of society for all of mankind, many have incessantly argued over why we have government and what the overall purpose of government is. People whose ideologies align with John Locke feel that the government’s purpose is to help all people and to not get too involved in the affairs of the people. However, those who identify with the ideas of Thomas Hobbes strongly believe that government’s purpose is to save the people from themselves because they are barbaric people that are liable to run amok, he felt by tightly restricting their rights this would be remedied. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, this argument is

That’s 268 a day, 11 every hour.” (Pitts). Statistics like this speak volumes as to why it is the duty of the government to restrict people from the very same freedoms that will lead to their own demise. Though citizens might not agree with it at the moment, making an unpopular decision be in the best interest of the people is necessary and is what makes a government great. If the government is truly one that cares for their people, than they will show glimpses of ‘tough love’ and suppress freedoms for the well-being of the people. This was the case in Fahrenheit 451 as the people had their freedoms taken from them as the government thought it was in the best interest of the people. Bold actions were taken by the government in the name of helping society becoming a better place. Captain Beatty explained the motive when he told Guy, “Now let’s take up the minorities in our civilization, shall we? Bigger the population, the more minorities. Don’t step on the toes of the dog-lovers, the cat-lovers, doctors, lawyers, merchants, chiefs, Mormons, Baptists, Unitarians, second-generation Chinese, Swedes, Italians, Germans, Texans, Brooklynites, Irishmen, people from Oregon or Mexico… Today, thanks to them, you can stay happy all the time” (Bradbury 48-49). In order to improve the lives of the people and save them from running into future issues, the government had to take some of their rights. Whether you agree with them or not, you must agree that government made change that they felt was in the best interest of the people, even if it limited their rights. Life for the people was made more enjoyable and there were not many signs of people disgruntled by their life. The limits set by the government kept the people in check and were in the best interest of the