Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

Professor Faber shares a piece of wisdom in Fahrenheit 451, saying: “It’s not books you need, it's some of the things that once were in books” (Bradbury 82). A passion for learning and gaining knowledge is paramount on the path to leading a fulfilling life. What the society in Fahrenheit 451, a fictional novel by Ray Bradbury, needs, is access to learn the things books can teach us. But, in this novel set in a dystopian future, firemen burn books and independent thought is discouraged. The story follows Guy Montag, an ordinary person who becomes disillusioned with his role as a fireman, and it progresses into giving readers insight into his journey of rebellion against the system. In a world void of enlightenment where people are brainwashed …show more content…
Such an anomaly makes the reader question what troubles the person had that would cause them to do such a thing to themselves. But, firemen let these hounds loose all the time on other people; they are implemented in all firehouses and are instruments used to cause death. Death is a normal thing for society to see in Fahrenheit 451, and violence is encouraged by the government to keep people out of line. The popularization and normalization of Mechanical Hounds contribute to a cold and lifeless world because the vast quantity of them present to kill normalizes violence. Towards the end of the book, right when the chase started, Montag is watching television at Faber's house and thinks about how if he gets caught, his chase will be shown on every person’s television screen. People's televisions would wake them up in the middle of the night to follow the suspense the chase would build. Montag wondered how many people would wake up in the middle of the night to intently follow the excitement in the build-up of the chase like they would for a big game or carnival (Bradbury 149). This is a clear display of how much people love watching their television and desire the feeling of being

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