The Makings of a Cautionary Tale
As part of the genre of speculative fiction, both Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood are set in an alternate time period in which a part of society has been changed. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury describes a society that burns books as a part of its movement away from individual thought. On the other hand, The Handmaid’s Tale shows a society in which many women have become infertile, creating a dilemma that becomes political as the government begins to take away freedoms in the name of the continuation of the human race. Both books shock the reader by showing what might happen in a world where possible dangers in present day of the author become more pertinent issues. By …show more content…
Despite the prohibition on books and the punishment for being caught in possession of a book, people still read books. This intrigues Montag, making him think “‘[t]here must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there” (Bradbury 48). Montag begins his deviation from the law a year before the main events told in Fahrenheit 451, which is when he begins to steal books from the fires he goes to (Bradbury 62). The fact that Montag does not report Faber when he first meets him in a park reinforces that Montag already harbors doubts about the ban he works to uphold (Bradbury 70-71). Clarice comments on Montag’s personality, which is unusual for his occupation, telling him, “‘No one has time any more for anyone else. You’re one of the few who put up with me. That’s why I think it’s so strange you’re a fireman, it just doesn’t seem right for you, somehow’” (Bradbury 21). When Bradbury shows a scene of Montag stealing a book during the fire at the woman’s house, Montag still refuses to take responsibility for his actions, blaming his hand for taking the book instead of his own mind. Bradbury describes Montag’s thought process: “His hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief” (Bradbury
As part of the genre of speculative fiction, both Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood are set in an alternate time period in which a part of society has been changed. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury describes a society that burns books as a part of its movement away from individual thought. On the other hand, The Handmaid’s Tale shows a society in which many women have become infertile, creating a dilemma that becomes political as the government begins to take away freedoms in the name of the continuation of the human race. Both books shock the reader by showing what might happen in a world where possible dangers in present day of the author become more pertinent issues. By …show more content…
Despite the prohibition on books and the punishment for being caught in possession of a book, people still read books. This intrigues Montag, making him think “‘[t]here must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there” (Bradbury 48). Montag begins his deviation from the law a year before the main events told in Fahrenheit 451, which is when he begins to steal books from the fires he goes to (Bradbury 62). The fact that Montag does not report Faber when he first meets him in a park reinforces that Montag already harbors doubts about the ban he works to uphold (Bradbury 70-71). Clarice comments on Montag’s personality, which is unusual for his occupation, telling him, “‘No one has time any more for anyone else. You’re one of the few who put up with me. That’s why I think it’s so strange you’re a fireman, it just doesn’t seem right for you, somehow’” (Bradbury 21). When Bradbury shows a scene of Montag stealing a book during the fire at the woman’s house, Montag still refuses to take responsibility for his actions, blaming his hand for taking the book instead of his own mind. Bradbury describes Montag’s thought process: “His hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief” (Bradbury