Theme Of Dystopia In Fahrenheit 451

In many futuristic novels, the protagonist lives in a society whose government is either a utopia or a dystopia. Often, a society that appears to be a utopia at the beginning of the novel transforms to a dystopia by the end. It is usually not the government itself that changes, but rather the protagonist's view of the government. As the novel progresses, the protagonist begins to realize that the peaceful illusion created by the government masks its true, dark nature. Once the protagonist clearly sees how awful the government is, they run away to achieve freedom. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 tells a similar story. When Montag is introduced, he is content with his life. He truly believes that there is nothing wrong with his society or his job. He burns book after book without wondering what could be in them. As the novel
Because he is happy with his life, he has no reason to doubt what he has been told about books. He knows only that books are bad and they must be burned. For 10 years, he has found that “it [is] a pleasure to burn” (Bradbury 1). He enjoys his job because he believes he is benefiting society. He sees books as enemies that could impair the functionality of his perfect society. Destroying these enemies gives him satisfaction. Even after he finishes his job each day, he feels the “fiery smile gripped still by his face muscles” (2). Montag is driven by a passion to do what he thinks is right. Doing what society tells him to do is his way of defeating any obstacles that could diminish his happiness. He associates his job with a passion and a sense of fulfillment. After 10 years of what he sees as exciting work, the smell of “kerosene...is nothing but perfume to [him]” (4). Montag’s job is so pleasing to him, that his mind has begun to connect his happiness to every part of his job. His willingness to destroy books maintains his satisfaction with the