Conformity In The Book Captain Beatty

As stated earlier, censorship is the first domino that causes all these things to happen to these people, but they are powerless to stop it because there is no one to lead them to think differently. The worst thing is that the censorship has been going on for so long that the people don’t even care anymore. Faber said, “It 's not books you need, it 's some of the things that once were in books....The same infinite detail and awareness could be projected through radios and televisors, but are not” (Bradbury). This shows that even though they lived in a technologically based society they still could’ve projected thought and free thinking. The thing that is hard to realize is that there was a point where the people didn’t want to read because …show more content…
Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against. So! A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon” (Bradbury). This quote perfectly presents the problem of conformity in this book. Beatty shows these people’s corrupted version of peace. This “peace” that this community has strived for is the reason that they are the dehumanized race that they have become. All of the people in this book act the same because they want to preserve the safety and security that they feel they have attained. What they don’t know is that this idea of safety that they think they have is a façade because wars are still going on around them, but they are blind to it. The people are shepherded like sheep and they all follow in the same path because they no longer know any differently. These people are no longer treated as humans, and no longer able to make their own choices, but instead have people choose the best for them. This means no original ideas and no personal views. This then makes all the people generally blend together, which causes the problem of conformity. Nobody is brave enough to challenge the status quo because you will be either be ridiculed, exiled, or arrested. An example of this is when Mildred’s …show more content…
Beatty thinks this censorship is the best thing for the people, but ultimately it is a downfall. The people in the city are ignorant of the wars going on in the world and had they known about the dangers, maybe they could’ve evacuated the city. The government, however, decided it was best for them to be happy and in danger rather than fearful and safe. However, not everyone in the book is locked in this state of mind that thinking is bad. Bradbury provides us with many examples of free thinkers who are hope for the future, such as Faber, Clarisse, Clarisse’s Uncle, and Granger. “Along with symbolically associating Faber with nature, Bradbury demonstrates that the professor, like Clarisse--and unlike the mindless majority--appreciates the natural world and understands his place in it” (McGiveron). Bradbury inserts these characters into the book to show us that there are people who stray from the path of censorship and they are shown as hope for a new society. These characters are able to understand the beauty of natural things like the moon, grass, and trees. They do not rely on technology, because they love and respect nature. Granger and the others live out on the train tracks where the only technology they have is a small TV. They show that the populace’s dependence on