Intellectual Destruction of a Society: “It Was a Pleasure to Burn”

Intellectual destruction of a society: “It was a pleasure to burn” Fahrenheit 451 paints a vivid picture of group thinking societies today and the cultural downfall which their destined to embody. A nation where books and other sources of information are replaced by alternatives which lack substance, such as television control over the masses and the anti-intellectual act of book burning the protagonist initially enjoys so much. In Bradbury’s dystopian novel culture is repressed as a collective decision by the society. The spiritual and cultural death depicted in Ray Bradbury’s acclaimed work of fiction Fahrenheit 451 is evident of being the byproduct of a culture plagued by self-induced ignorance.
Fahrenheit 451 is a tale of the few who refused to assimilate in an intellectually repressed society. Rather they utilize the knowledge preached in “Group Minds” by Doris Lessing, to the effects of media on society as conveyed by Neil Postman as well as Morris Berman and From Grudin take on Freedom in On dialogue: a lesson in Free Thought. In Bradbury’s dystopian society when the protagonist Guy Montag entire existence is question by a young adolescent girl by the name of Clarisse his journey toward self-discovery and enlightenment begins. Clarrisse ask a simple question before parting ways with Montag "Are you happy?”(Bradbury 3). As Postman speaks on in Amusing ourselves to Death: The Peek-a-Boo World, he compares society to the children game of Peek-a-Boo where life’s daily routines flash by with ease and nonchalance “a world that does not ask us, indeed, does not permit us to do anything” (Postman 77), just as Montag is initially depicted as while on the job “whistling, hands in pockets, walked across the upper floor of the fire station and fell down the hole. At the last moment, when disaster seemed positive, he pulled his hands from his pockets and broke his fall He slid to a squeaking halt, the heels one inch from the concrete floor downstairs” (Bradbury 2) . Montag’s routine seems mundane to a free mind individuals like Clarisse, and this becomes a realization to Montag in turn, breaking him down to see the lack of a self-identity which he and those around him carry with them. Clarisse is one of the few who seeks knowledge, she isn’t trying to teach Guy anything rather she’s trying to learn from him. Clarisse is the embodiment of Lessing’s piece on the potency of information against a society in dismal carrying sacred assumptions which are never up for discussion, “The underlying assumptions and assertions that govern the group are never discussed, never challenged, probably never noticed” (Lessing 308) Clarisse thoughtful inquiry spurs Montag to break free, allowing him to see this group he’s unwillingly apart of and the result of his unhappiness and that of the societies as a whole.
As the story progresses Guy beings to see his society for what it is and how it resulted in becoming the country which Morris Berman foreshadowed would suffer from a societal collapse through the consumption of “vital kitsch” (Berman 4). This infatuation to consume popular material which lacks quality content is most evident during the introduction of Montag’s wife. After his conversation with Clarisse he comes home to find his found overdosed on sleeping pills and once she revived she’s back to the same, vacant existence obsessed with television. While more so than her husband Mildred is deeply unhappy. She’s severely bothered by the fact that her life is empty and filled with hours of mindless television. As Guy comes home the following night he is greeted with “The living-room; what a good job of labeling that was now. No matter when he came in, the walls were always talking to Mildred” (Bradbury 23) The Television is her connection and only stimulation in life and this represses her human nature to elevate oneself as years pass. In Montag’s society, it 's Mildred’s job along with the rest of society to be happy and assimilate into the stupor role the failing collective set out to maintain. Montag’s spiritual epiphany with Clarisse starts the evolution of Guy into a true knowledge and purpose. While out on a routine night of a firefighter in Bradbury’s dystopian society Montag come in contact with his first opportunity of gaining a piece of this new found knowledge he sub consciously craves though going against the group ideals and comes in the possession of a book. “Montag 's hand closed like a mouth, crushed the book with wild devotion, with an insanity of mindlessness to his chest…Montag had done nothing. His hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger” (Bradbury 19) This sub conscious belief that books somehow contain the information he seeks to make himself happy is brought up by Postman while speaking on the contribution of books to humanity a “Books, for example, are an excellent container for the accumulation, quiet scrutiny and organized analysis of information and ideas...therefore, civilized people everywhere consider the burning of a book a vile form of anti-intellectualism” (Postman 69) Bradbury dystopian society has the correct idea by eliminating books as a source to stifle knowledge and the interaction that comes from discussing them which in turn can lead to action and end with individual gaining their own ability to properly process the entire scope of their group mind thinking.
The evolution of Montag continues as the story progresses and he begins to take action and assist those around him still suffering from the culture plague of self-induced ignorance. After the theft of the book and witnessing the death of an elderly lady who displayed civil disobedience by refusing to exit her house after being doused in kerosene only to end up sparking the fire igniting match and take control of her own demise did Montag seek guidance. After feeling sick the day after the death Montag decides to remain home, Beatty Montag’s Captain at the firehouse pays him a visit. While giving Montag his spill on the necessity of the firefighter he speaks on the evil of books and the source of cultural death in Bradbury’s failing American society “take my word for it, I 've had to read a few in my time, to know what I was about, and the books say nothing! Nothing you can teach or believe.” (Bradbury 32) Beatty attempt to reel Montag back into firemen’s group thinking holds a certain degree of truth, as Postman stated about the telegraph and newspapers of the time “most of our daily news is inert, consisting of information that gives us something to talk about but cannot lead to any meaningful action” (Postman 68) Though the view of the group thinking as shifted the culture as a whole idea behind book which do spread truth, and confuse Mildred’s TV family for adequate substitution to the stimulation of the mind. Their society has reached the point Postman discuses America hit after the introduction of the telegraph, with information being able to be quickly outputted on Television or broadcasted through the society group communication device, seashell radio. This quick access to information led to the cultural decline of books with knowledge and a life’s purpose soon followed. The pursuit of knowledge being the backbone of Lessing solution to group thinking which in Montag’s society’s case is their tool for control and underlying forces of its cultural downfall “it is information that will set people free from blind loyalties, obedience to slogans, group emotions” (Lessing 9)
Montag’s thirst for truth is innate and instinctive but is suppressed in a society that is fueled by ignorance. The picture of how rooted the group thought is among Montag’s society forces him to act rashly and play a role in the revival of his society’s spiritual and cultural existence. One day he ask Mildred to help process the books before his Captains suspicion come to light. Her disdain for books and what they stand for are evident of how embedded their group ideals are upheld by average citizens consumed by TV just as Mildred is. The books hold what needed for her and the society to feel whole again by starting up conversation and provided substance while disregarding the TV and how it was relied upon as their social educator and entertainer. Postman whole journey through American history in “The Peek-a-Boo World” from Amusing Ourselves to Death was to prove the point of the invisibility and group mind beliefs which television endorses he believed “television’s conversation promote incoherence and triviality” (Postman 80) After having contact with the books Mildred caves in and turns in her husband for conducting activities banned within the group. Mildred and the rest of those who are responsible for alerting authority of possession of books are examples of Lessing teachings on the power of group thought and the destructive effect it can have on a person. Although deep down she may have wanted to help her husband her will was not stronger than the power of the group mind, “the hardest thing in the world is to stand out against one’s group” (Lessing 308). After becoming in connect with a man Montag meet in his past who gave him a piece of enlightenment he was able to recall over a year after “"I talk the meaning of things. I sit here and know I 'm alive” (Bradbury 37) In a society as distraught as Rome in its final days he must like Faber become a new age monk and Montag becoming self-aware of his thirst to be happy to be alive. He comes to the realization that it is not the he is seeking but for the meaning in which they carry.
Towards the climax of the novel Montag reaches the pinnacle of his evolution and becomes an inquisitive, intelligent, and free-thinking few individuals such as Clarisse and Faber. This becomes evident when he does more than just question the group ideal of the societies he chooses to disassociate with but those of free thinking individual’s as well, (Quote) by questioning Faber he not subject to leaving one group to be a subordinate of another. Montag begins to exercise his new found freedom and knowledge to make the right choices. Displaying the true characteristics of an independent thinker in a society, he heeds the advice of colleague while still possessing the ability to act on his own by balancing the influence Faber has on him “we must find our way between two extremes excessive individual liberty….and the excessive emphasis on equality” (Grudin 2) After being confronted by Captain Beatty after being turned in by his wife, Guy yet again allows his sub-conscious and true desire to take control and turn the firehouse on Beatty “Montag saw the surprise there and himself glanced to his hands to see what new thing they had done.” (Bradbury 59) Each effort to better oneself breaks down a barrier within themselves, the Montag who loved burning and whistled while at work was long gone. Grudin states it being the ability to “See ourselves- as architectonic constructions of action and evasion” (Grudin 125) Montag self-awareness had to build to this point of emotion which in a culturally repressed society is difficult to express. The foreshadowed nuclear war takes places and Montag joins with a group band of new age monks who being the few survivors of this dystopian societal existence strive to learn from their mistakes of culture and spiritual repression, boasting intellectualism rather than shun the knowledge and in turn be the driving life force behind humanity in all societies.
Rather than embracing their teachings as tools to form independent self-awareness and see through the hypocrisy of Montag’s society they choose to shun them and protect the idea behind ignorance is bliss, with everyone the same an having no varied viewpoints. The citizens job along with the rest of society to be happy and assimilate into the stupor role the failing collective set out to maintain. Bradbury dystopian society knows the power of eliminating books as a source to stifle knowledge and the interaction that comes from discussing them ending with the individual gaining their own ability to properly process the entire scope of their group mind thinking

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