Censoring Fahrenheit 451
Censorship reigns in the setting of Bradbury’s classic, Fahrenheit 451. The primary means of conducting censorship is by burning books. The government orders its firefighters to burn the books for the benefit of society. This act of burning books is supposed to keep society in a happy state of mind. However, Fahrenheit 451 suggests the opposite. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury illustrates how censorship in society limits human growth.
Bradbury creates a society where ignorance is valued and knowledge is feared. Bradbury suggests truth is an object that hurts the society. To deny that they are ignorant of the truth, the society engorges themselves with useless items that are assumed to entertain them, such as televisions and portable radios. Eventually, the society comes to the position where they are more concerned about their forms of entertainment than the truth. Montag realizes this problem and tries to address it to his wife, Mildred. In one moment of the novel, Montag is talking to Mildred, who refuses to read books. She is obsessed over her televisions. Mildred is choosing to be ignorant. Montag tries to communicate his message to her by saying, “…How long has it been since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?” (Bradbury 52). In this situation, Mildred is listening to Montag’s suggestion to read books. However, due to her fear of knowledge, she refuses to do so. This society cannot get over their fascination with these items. John Beifuss of the E.W. Scripps Company alleges, “Bradbury’s depiction of an illiterate, conformist and narcotized citizenry that spends its time watching reality shows on ‘wall-screen’…seems more like a warning that a fantasy...” (Beifuss). Beifuss is asserting that al ...