Conformity In Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury

A man who burns books for a living comes to realize the oppressive conformity that defines his society. In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the main protagonist finds that an idealistic world of mindless obedience can be corrupt at heart. Guy Montag is a fireman who holds pride in his job, until he meets Clarisse, who reveals that Montag is not as happy as he thinks he is. He is later informed of Clarisse’s death, and his unhappiness grows. He then meets a man named Faber, and devises a plan to overthrow the firemen workforce, but ultimately fails. In the end, Montag finds that the ashes of his society can lead to its reformation. Bradbury uses character development and symbolism to express his fears of censorship, blind ignorance, and conformity. …show more content…
In the beginning of the story, Montag does not question the purpose of the fireman, and strictly believes that curiosity is an abnormal feature. However, after being exposed to a previously censored reality, he realizes the injustices that exist within his society. “He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back.” (p.42). In this excerpt, the author begins to develop the character of Montag into a darker, dynamic character by expressing his hollow happiness. The author uses this haughty change in order to show how he fears that censorship will create a society that is unable to face