Themes In Fahrenheit 451

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, the main character Guy Montag, goes through an evolution in which his ideas on censorship radically change. Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, follows Montag, and his development as a sovereign individual. In the beginning of the novel, Montag is not only an enforcer of censorship, but an advocate. However, by the end of the book, Montag has experienced a complete revolution in which he no longer advocates for suppression, but rebels against the idea of it. Montag’s character, speaks to the theme of censorship. Fahrenheit 451 rejects censorship, and proclaims the idea that knowledge is indeed power. This book communicates disdain towards the cloaking of information, more specifically literature which depicts the futuristic, dystopian setting in the novel. Furthermore, Ray Bradbury’s development of Montag sheds light on the book’s theme; being that the forbidding of material leads to a biased, uneducated society.
In the beginning of the
Guy Montag struggles in finding his spark, ironically he is a fireman who sets ablaze books and the walls that hold those stories. Through his interactions with Clarisse Mcclellan, he realizes that books aren’t malicious, but censorship is. The concept of banning knowledge doesn’t create a peaceful society, but it creates a divide. Without the proper education and intelligence, the members of that particular society will only act as programmed machines. They will behave in a way which looks like non- contributing, fruitless, uninspired people. And this is exactly what Ray Bradbury desired to convey. It is necessary to provide valid information, and to not hide data that has been labeled as “detrimental;” for it is an individual's task to gather, analyze the knowledge; then form those fragments into full fledged philosophies and personal