Fahrenheit 451 Paper

Spiritual redemption inspired by books and oppressive government in Fahrenheit 451

People start to think about rebellion when the government rules people tyrannically for a long time, trying to control people’s thoughts in a forceful way. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury describes a dystopian society where no one is allowed to read books or think freely. The government’s strong control of people’s minds infuriated Montag so much that he even abandoned the job that his father and grandfather both did, which was being a fireman and burning books. With the help of Faber, an old English professor who also wanted to go back to the free-thinking and free-reading world, Montag managed to steal books and carry out a plan against the corrupt society and firemen. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses the theme of the relationship between conformity and rebellion to illustrate how books enlighten people and how an oppressive government can stimulate people to revolt. In the novel, people are controlled by the tyrannical government so much that firemen and other people do whatever the government expects them to do, whether it is good or not. Bradbury opens the story by explaining that: “It was a pleasure to burn” (1). In this passage, Montag loves his job as a fireman and enjoys the feeling of burning and destroying books. For him, it is a pleasure to see things eaten, blacken, and changed in venomous kerosene. Montag is proud of himself as a fireman, and he can even grin while pouring kerosene all over a house. However, the smile of Montag is stiff, it doesn’t come from his heart. Montag thinks he enjoys being a fireman. He ignores his anxiety of the job, and keeps wearing the helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head since it is prestigious to be a fireman. Mildred, the wife of Montag, also lives numbly in this society. She spends most time of her day with the fake family in the TV wall that she thinks is real. Mildred suicides by swallowing excess sleeping piles but doesn’t even know the reason why she feels unhappy and wants to die. Meanwhile, although Montag wants to quit his job and follow his heart to read books and revolt against the pathological society, he is afraid to put it into action because Captain Beatty is such a cunning person that Montag couldn’t overbear. Bradbury indicates the deceit of the government by writing that: “A child feigning illness, afraid to call because after a moment’s discussion, the conversation would run so: ‘Yes, Captain, I feel much better already. I’ll be in at ten o’clock tonight’” (48). In this quotation, Montag is scared to call Captain Beatty and asks him for one day-off, because Montag thinks Beatty will figure out the fact that he stole books through his tone. Captain Beatty is an expert in twisting and distorting facts, and controlling people’s thoughts as well. Therefore, if Montag calls Captain Beatty, Beatty will convince him to abandon his anti-social ideas, and make him go back to work. Montag is one of the ‘outstanding’ citizens who will do whatever the government asks them to do, barely believing his own opinions coming from his own brain. However, this kind of numb life without the independent thinking and decisions doesn’t exist longer. Objectively, the harsh control enlarges people’s resentment to the government, impelling the coming of rebellion. The government’s cruel and irrational control over the society leads people to question the reliability of government and begin to think of the necessity of rebellion as well. Most firemen and Beatty, the captain of fireman, barely sympathize or care about people. These firemen even torture people in order to fulfill their need of the absolute obedience. They are willing to do anything against their conscience, including murder innocent people, for their greatest interests. Bradbury writes: “After Beatty, down the steps, across the lawn, where, where the path of kerosene lay like the track of some evil snail… Beatty flicked his fingers to spark the kerosene” (37). In this quotation, Captain Beatty shows no sympathy to an old and simple-minded woman who was caught having books in her house. When the woman ends up burning herself and all her books rather than to be arrested by firemen, captain Beatty calls her a fanatic who is blindfolded by books and deserves death. As a captain of firemen who is as powerful as the government in society, Captain Beatty has enormous hostility towards people who favor books. Under the pretext of clean up all spots that books have made on people’s lives, Captain Beatty burns books and anti-social people to suppress the community. As the representative of the government, Captain Beatty does nothing and cares nothing about the benefits of society but the profit of himself. Although the prohibition of reading books restricts people’s minds, the government’s excessive way of ruling people sharply decreases the people’s confidence toward the reliability of government. Thus, Montag leaves the firemen Bureau and Captain Beatty, collecting books to prepare for the rebellion. Clarisse and Montag have stood up against Captain Beatty and the government through thinking and reading as well. Captain Beatty tells Montag that they get into a furious debate on books in his dream and quote out lots of quotations from different kinds of books so as to confuse Montag and let Montag believe him. In the book, Bradbury demonstrates the duplicity of the government by saying that: “‘Power,’ I said. And you, quoting Dr. Johnson, said ‘Knowledge is more than equivalent to force!’ And I said, ‘Well, Dr. Johnson also said, dear boy, that “He is no wise man that will quit a certainty for an uncertainty’” (103). In this passage, Beatty keeps yelling out famous quotes from different well-known people from the past in his imagination,, which exposes the truth that Captain Beatty has read and memorized a great number of books. Ironically, Beatty denounces people who read books strictly at the same time. The hypocrisy of Captain Beatty decreases the reliability of himself and words he says, which makes Montag no longer believes his opinion that books are fake and can only upset people. With the help of Faber, who used to be an English professor in college, Montag is no longer puzzled by Captain Beatty’s fallacies. In addition, Montag and Faber started to express their anger towards the government, doing things such as copying books and incriminating firemen by leaving books in their house. The cruelty and inconsistency of the government pushes them to the edge of rebellion. People’s disappointment of the government can only count as the enlightenment of idea of rebellion. Most importantly, the inspiration of books point out the direct way of rebellion. Books give people new thoughts and hope for better life as a tool that will record memories of old lives and useful knowledge for people in case they forget. Although Montag gets some books and decides to take action for revolution, he has no idea what do things in books mean, so he comes to Faber, who is the only person that can solve his problems about books. Bradbury writes: “Number one, as I said, quality of information. Number two: leisure to digest it” (81). In this passage, Faber depicts three reasons of the importance of the books, exposing the truth that the magic of books are not about themselves, but things that once were in books. According to Faber, books have pores that will maximize all fresh details in life and explain the true meaning of life. However, books also record the history of human being’s lives and tell people what kind of life people are supposed to have. The reason why books are banned by the government is that it doesn’t want people to understand how terrible their life is now comparing to the old times. Books demonstrate the rough surface of life now and better hope for the future, giving Montag hope for a better world. Meanwhile, leisure for deep thinking can make people understand the pores of books well. Leisure time for deep thinking lets people form their own judgments, instead of being the messenger for the government. In addition, leisure time for thinking also inspires people to come up with plenty of new thoughts since people absorb more of books and think more about them at the same time. After Montag has waked up from the maze made by the government, he wants others to wake up and have the same feeling as him as well. When Montag can’t stand the two ladies talk about the president candidates based on their looks, he takes out poetry and reads poems to them. Montag’s wife Millie tries to cover up for him by asking him to read one of the poets out loud to prove how mixed up things are in books. Another example that proves the importance of books to rebellion will be:
“Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! For the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new” (96).

In this quotation, this piece of poetry describes the memories of old people’s feeling towards love. The poet illustrates that love can bring people closer together and build the relationship of trust. Moreover, love is fresh, pretty and pleasant all the time, giving people dreams and hope for their beautiful future. Books are a way to remind people of memories and thoughts of the past by recording them on paper. At the time when everyone lost their own way of life, these books will ignite their path to the final destination, where is full of love and real joy. Through the path of rebellion, people would find hope for better future, and strengthen their determination for building a new world as well. Although the government tries to control people through threats and the prohibition of books, a group of people, including Montag and Faber who once fell into the swamp of conformity to the government, are stimulated by their anger to the government and the inspiration from books. They walk in the rough and long way of rebellion, fighting for love and true happiness. The forbiddance of free-thinking and reading can never truly govern people. Instead, it would raise people’s anger towards the government and stand up together fighting against it for their freedom in the future.