Examples Of Individuality In Fahrenheit 451

In a world comprised of people who hardly seem different from anyone else, do you believe that people would so readily relinquish their sense of self? The dictionary definition of conformity is the “ compliance with standards, rules or laws.” On the other hand, individuality is defined as “ the quality or character of a particular person or thing that distinguishes them from others of the same kind, especially when strongly marked.” Bradbury reveals the theme that conformity suppresses individuality through fear, exclusion, and the criminalization of the individuals who dare to defy social normalities. The literature that will be used is Fahrenheit 451. Fear is an incredibly powerful motivator for most people. A majority of the characters in Fahrenheit 451 are encouraged by this fear to follow the status quo of their society. Mildred, wife of the protagonist Guy Montag, is a classic example of this internalized fear of individuality. When she finds out that her husband, a fireman whose job it is to destroy literature, has been stealing books and hiding them in their home, she loses her …show more content…
Soon after revealing to Mildred his small stash of stolen and forbidden books, he and Mildred begin reading small portions of the books each day. Montag is under the impression that his plan is effective for a while before the rug is pulled out from under him. After the incident involving two of Mildred’s friends and Montag reading them poetry, Mildred and her friends report Montag while he is at work. Following Montag being ordered to burn down his house, Captain Beatty informs Montag of his duties afterwards by saying “ ‘When you’re quite finished,’ said Beatty behind him, ‘you’re under arrest’” (117). As a result of Montag’s career as a Fireman, he was forced to burn his house to ashes because of his experience doing that kind of thing. In the end, even the enforcers have to face the repercussions of their