Similarities Between Dover Beach And Fahrenheit 451

In a world that is dominated by an oppressive force, individuals start to question the status quo subjected to their society and urgently seek freedom from this destruction. Additionally, these people yearn to discover a sense of human connection, the meaning and purpose of life, and faith that is slowly fading away as these individuals attempt to find their identity and purpose. Matthew Arnold’s poem, Dover Beach, and Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, both journey through the principles of life, exploring various themes such as isolation, the loss of faith, and the search for meaning in life. In Dover Beach, Matthew Arnold portrays a world where faith and traditional beliefs start to vanish, with isolation and disillusionment remaining.

Montag undergoes a massive transformation, transitioning from a conformist who eagerly wants to burn books, to yearning for the knowledge within them, gradually becoming more self-aware as he starts questioning the government’s morals, and eventually recognizes the importance of preserving knowledge. Dover Beach acts as a reflection of Montag’s journey to saving books and preserving knowledge as he begins to realize how empty his society is and the importance of critical thinking. Montag reflects on his past actions, paralleling the lines in Dover Beach, as mentioned in the poem, "The Sea of Faith / Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore / Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled” (Arnold 9-11). With the absence of books in society, people start to feel lost and lose faith in the existence of knowledge, emphasizing the importance of these things in an individual’s life and how it could improve their critical thinking. Upon the government’s rise to power, they would forbid people to access books because they feared that the people would revolt. By disallowing people’s access to these things, the government could ensure that the people stay compliant and conform to the rules. With the constant fear of the people speaking up, the government sought to destroy all books and the knowledge within them. This task was done by the firemen, who would use various forms of technology, like the Hound, to eradicate all books present in society. This connects with the idea of Montag’s change from a conformist to someone who is trying to stop the government, as in this phase, he begins to realize all mistakes he previously did and is guilty about them. Montag’s realization starts to grow as he sees the emptiness