Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Fahrenheit 451' vs. '1984'
Several conflicting frames of mind have played defining roles in shaping humanity throughout the twentieth century. Philosophical optimism of a bright future held by humanity in general was taken advantage of by the promise of a better life through sacrifice of individuality to the state. In the books 1984, by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury have clear opposition to these subtle entrapments that was voiced in similarly convincing ways.
They first both establish, to varying degrees of balance, the atmosphere and seductiveness of the "utopia" and the fear of the consequences of acting in the non-prescribed way through character development. A single character is alienated because of their inability to conform - often in protest to the forced conditions of happiness and well being. Their struggle is to hide this fact from the state's relentless supervision of (supposedly) everything. This leads them to eventually come into conflict with some hand of the state which serves as the authors voices presenting the reader with the 'absurdity' of the principles on which the society is based.
The similar fear of the state's abuse of power and technology at the expense of human individuality present within these novels speaks to the relevance of these novels within their historical context and their usefulness for awakening people to the horrendous consequences of their ignorance.
In these novels the main characters are, or become, unable to conform to the society's standards. These characters represent the authors' view of the 'utopia' as they see it with the veil of ignorance removed. In 1984, for instance, we start out with a character,...
Through his job at the ministry of truth, he becomes a hand of the state, creating fiction to support its endeavors: "Comrade Ogilvy, unimagined an hour ago, was now a fact... he would exist just as authentically... As Charlemagne and Julius Caesar." (1984, p54) As the book progresses he becomes more aware of his individuality and eventually is unable to hide it.
Similarly in Fahrenheit 451, Montag becomes aware of problems with his society, but not logically - emotionally. It disturbs him greatly when a medical team that helps his wife appears and disappears within a matter of minutes: "There are too many of us, he thought. There are billions of us and that's too many. Nobody knows anyone." (F451, p14) He becomes further agitated when a casual encounter with an 'antisocial' (normal by our standards) youth asks him if he's really happy. When these and other questions weigh upon his mind he begins to realize that something is fundamentally wrong with the world he is living in. These characters, although alienated in the novels, are believable and rational. The acts of their questioning in their search for the truth and real emotion persuade the reader to do the same thing. It is in this manner that the utility of these novels becomes apparent; through the demands they make of the reader personally - a superior social commentary, one that demands interaction, is born.
Moreover, the characters' struggle to hide their newly found individuality is a futile one. In Orwell's interpretation of the totalitarian state of 1984, the society is technically and urbanely engineered to spy on and perceive people's very thoughts.…
Eventually all the alienated characters come before some prophesizing hand of the government who is ready to rationalize the right and duty of the government to posses such control over its people. In 1984 this is during the torture of Winston for his crime of not loving Big Brother. Orwell then reveals the horrors of an advanced dystopia through O'Brien such as the death of the individual: "Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Not in the individual mind... only in the mind of the Party, which is collective and immortal." (1984, p261) As well he goes into great depth as to the advancement of the parties' strategy against its enemies: "We do not merely destroy our enemies, we change them." (1984, p265)
Beatty, the fire chief in Fahrenheit 451 discovers Montag's affinity for books. As a result, he explains that books were made illegal because they always offend somebody. The new society, as he explains, allows all people, rich and poor, stupid and smart to "get a sense of motion without moving." (F451, p56) In this sense, the diversion of otherwise competent people into useless tasks and past times is the particular concern and fear of the author.
The authors therefore saw the 'utopian' societies to be a trap for weak minded publics, and that once in place, such systems would be able to perpetuate indefinitely due to the efficiency at which they protect and propagate themselves. Through fear, diversion and sedation the utopia can maintain a strong grip on the people it encompasses before anyone realizes the sacrifices made. The popularity of these books does rule out the possibility of such a society coming into existence in the future, however. The state of people is not about to change, and their ignorance will continue regardless of the harshness of the wake up calls issued.
The second crucial element missing from society, in Faber's explanation, is the leisure time among citizens to critically analyze or even think at all about any meaningful information they should come across in their lives. Because the government has become so successful at capturing their attention in simple forms of entertainment, people lack the necessary motivation to take time away from those enjoyable pursuits to learn about any quality information
1984 & Fahrenheit 451 The Pessimism of 1984 vs. The Optimism of Fahrenheit 451 Both 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury are futuristic depictions of totalitarian societies that value conformity over individualism. The two novels present systems of institutionalized control. There are strict laws and rules governing behavior and thoughts, and both societies are based on a hierarchy. The protagonists in the novels, Winston Smith and Guy Montag,
Granger helps him reconsider the importance of his hands when he tells him it does not matter what you do "long a you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away" (170). This scene proves noteworthy for Montag because he realizes it is true. He even notes change will "come from our hands and our
Philosophy: Enlightenment and Fahrenheit 451 We are a society defined by technology and machines. At the speed of light, we gain knowledge via the Internet, our lives are made more convenient and the globe becomes a smaller place to live. As a result of machines and technology, we are a 24/7 society where time is scarce and a high commodity. Even with machines to make our lives and jobs easier, we
Inside he is changing but he continues with his life as much as he can. Beatty accuses Montag of being a hopeless romantic and does his best to convince Montag there is nothing in books that could benefit man. Beatty also blames a large part of Montag's "problem" on his encounters with Clarisse, who was "better of dead" (64). This attitude is a stark contrast with Faber and his
In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube. What can present-day people do to prevent technology from doing more harm than good? Bradbury feels that if people read books, they will learn about the history of the world and things they do not understand. Books will instruct people in new ways that do not rely on the use of technology. Bradbury insists that the