The Book Burner and The Trailblazer: Two Sides of the Same Coin Every man's book says something different and every man's life is likewise. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel set in a future where books are banned and firemen burn any that are found in people's homes. In Fahrenheit 451, the characters Beatty and Faber express two opposite opinions on control, freedom, and knowledge, highlighting the major conflict between conformity and defiance in this dystopia. Beatty is a fire captain and a strong believer in the oppressive reign of the government and its policy of saying that books are bad, which is nothing but the suppression of knowledge and prevents people from questioning things that happen around them. He is confident in what he does and is also appealing to others, using his wit to control those around him by making them believe whatever he says to them. He is dedicated to his job of burning books and is loyal to the government by supporting its policy of illegalizing books. When Beatty said, “I've had to read a few in my time to know what I was about, and the books say nothing! (Bradbury, 59)” he meant that he has read a couple of books …show more content…
When Faber said, "Mr. Montag, you are looking at a coward… (Bradbury, 78)," he meant that he was afraid and reluctant to stand against the government and its policy of suppression. Through his wit, Faber shows his desire for knowledge and the need to stand up against oppression because he thinks that knowledge is free for everyone and it is everyone’s basic right to gain knowledge as they desire. Faber understands how books help spread knowledge among people and wants everyone else to understand their “inner” meaning so that everyone in this world is aware of what is happening around