Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 epitomizes Faber as the pusillanimous hero. Though both Faber and Montag resist the restraints of conformity placed upon them by society, Faber’s dissent takes a less direct path. Faber’s rebellious passion stems from his failure as a scholar in a dystopian future–an occupation of utmost importance–where knowledge is indictable. Paired with a revolutionary spirit gained from a newfound sense of identity with Montag’s cause, Faber persuades himself to suppress his cowardice in the pursuit of dismantling the knowledge-void society. Thus, Faber rebels to subvert societal norms by indirectly challenging society, demonstrating the ramifications of conformity and the power of identity through genuine relationships. Foremost,

As a scholar, Faber is a “dangerous intellectual,” and threatens to disprove the rampant censorship of the dystopian hierarchy. However, Faber’s timidity and complacency, which “compliment[s] the revolutionary spirit that lives in its shadow,” prevents him from utilizing his knowledge to rebel. With the assistance of Montag, Faber acquiescently agrees to dissent and subvert the societal norms warning against books and the pursuit of knowledge, though he dissents to a degree he remains comfortable with; evidently, Faber still fears the dangers resisting a societal tradition of conformity harbors: “[Faber] can sit comfortably at home, warming [his] frightened bones, and hear and analyze the fireman’s world, find its weaknesses, without danger” (90). Through the use of a small two-way earpiece, Faber can direct Montag’s endeavors, while he remains safe. Thus, Faber’s lack of commitment and the extent to which he rebels illustrates the consequences of conformity through his continued terror towards a culture of obedience and censorship, and the necessary sense of compliance it has forced upon him, essentially preventing him from entirely subverting the oppressive dystopian