Ryan Mann

AML 2020
Professor McGriff
April 15, 2015

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradburys novel shows readers how important individuality truly is. The ability to
think freely and have personal opinions on things throughout life is a very unique and special gift
to the human race and often times it is taken for granted. Society, whether in real life or in a
book, controls the way people think and act through technology, censorship, and religion.
Without these three major methods of giving or restricting information, a society could be filled
with free thinkers and people who are not all wrapped up in what others say or do. Fahrenheit
451 by Ray Bradbury is a great example as to how important it is to break away from the norms
and rules of society.
One of the most prominent restrictions put on characters throughout the novel is the
censorship received through technology. In Fahrenheit 451 books are a thing of the past, but not
only are they an old way of life, they are against the law. The society in which the characters live
in have put a huge emphasis on television. The children in the story have no imagination. They
dont read and let their minds expand; instead they all watch the same TV shows and are forcefed their entertainment. You heave them into the parlor and turn the switch. It's like washing
clothes: stuff laundry in and slam the lid... (Bradbury 96). Almost all of the characters have

been brainwashed to believe that the stories they hear about the past, are false. History has been
recorded in books for centuries and by removing books, they have erased their own past.
Another big issue that came about in Bradburys novel was censorship with reasoning.
With the help of the media, the characters in the story threw out information about the past. The
main character, Guy Montag, meets his new neighbor at the beginning of the story, when he tells
the young girl that he is a firefighter she becomes very interested in his job. Knowing that
firefighters dont put out fires, they actually start them, she wants him to tell her everything he
knows about books. One of the first questions she asks him was, is it true that long ago firemen
put fires out instead of starting them? (8). His answer completely denies this, and in turn denies
a part of their past. Censorship such as this is what divides society. It chooses who fits in and
who doesnt. When the young girl showed her interest in books, she was looked down upon
because she was going against the status quo. This has altered the way she thinks about herself,
Im seventeen and Im crazy (7). When she started to become a freethinker and act on her
curiosities she was viewed as strange by the people around her when she hadnt really done
anything wrong. Although this first encounter is not really looked back on as an important
moment in the characters life at this moment the young girl sets off the main characters own
curiosity about books.
Guy Montags curiosity is taken to the next step when he is at work and has to burn books
that belong to an older woman. This old woman refuses to step away from her books and
therefore is killed, burning alive with her books. This devotion shocks Montag and makes him
wonder what could be so great about these books that this woman was willing to die for. The old
woman was a minor character in the book but played a major role in what factors would lead up
to Montags decisions throughout the book and the journey he embarks on.

In society today, a lot of people would associate censorship with religion. Religion is
notoriously known for censoring people, especially children, from the sin that is found
throughout the world. Throughout the book there are multiple religious references and examples
of Christian values such as: forgiveness. The first book that Montag keeps is from an old ladys
house and was the Holy Bible. Not only was this the book he got from the old lady, but it was
also the book that he starts his secret collection with. When Montag saves the Bible from the
burning house, it mirrors the Christian belief in a savior that will deliver us from our faults and
sin. Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins/ to rescue us from the present evil (The
Rainbow Study Bible 1298). The author was not making a statement comparing the main
character to Jesus but was showing how if you have religion and God in your life, you can be
saved from the pain and torture of sin. The constant theme of fire was symbolizing Hell or the
devil. This symbolism helped the readers depict the struggles of right and wrong, heaven and
hell, which the characters encountered regularly.
Religion gives people a moral code to live by and allows an explanation for things
society cant explain to us. An English professor, Faber, which Montag meets before opening
The Bible, stresses the importance of Christian values. As the two of them go through their
journey to bring books back, Faber instills the greatest of values into Montag: forgiveness. At
one point Faber says Montag should show pity rather than fury towards the society.
Fahrenheit 451 also refers to the miracle at Cana where Jesus Christ turned water into
wine. What Jesus did here in Cana was the first signs through which he revealed his glory; and
his disciples believed him (The Rainbow Study Bible 1178). Faber continuously describes
himself as water, but describes Montag as fire, because of his close relationship with it
throughout the story. The miracle at Cana was one of the miracles in which Jesus proved who he

was. This act gave him an identity to the rest of the people and instilled faith within his
followers. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag is yearning for his own identity. He believes that his true
identity will come after his self-transformation is complete. The character knows that more
people will follow in his footsteps if he could just prove to others why his actions are right and
why society is wrong.
The opposite religious values can be seen throughout this book as well. The Bible is a
book that is commonly burned by the firemen, suggesting that there is no true significance about
religion or God. Just like the rest of history, it is useless and can simply be forgotten without any
repercussions. This is not necessarily the views of author, but is insight into the mindset of the
rule setters of this society.
This story shows how much every person is different and how those differences make
each person who they are. In any society, it can be observed that one person or group will tell the
rest of the people why they are wrong and need to conform to the rules. These pressures
undermine the beauty of individuality and teach people that if they are not exactly like everyone
else, there is something wrong with them. It wasnt until Montag stood up against his society that
he was able to find who he truly was and was able to celebrate individuality. When one person is
able to do this, the world will become a better place, even if it is in a fiction book or the real
world. Let people not worry about how they compare to one another but let them celebrate what
each person contributes to society to make it a better place and makes the world a greater place
to live.

Works Cited

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Del Rey Book, 1991. Print.
The Rainbow Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan House, 1992. Print.