Dystopian novels such as 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury portray societies that appear to be perfect. However, these oppressive societies are far from flawless and are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Often, dystopian novels are based on exaggerated worst-case scenarios which predict the outcome of the current day society. Each dystopian novel has specific characteristics which add to the illusion of perfection. In 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, parallels and distinctions can be drawn in the methods of the destruction of information, the manner in which the protagonists rebel, and the reconciliations of the stories. Societal records were destroyed by the government
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The Ministry of Truth had to rewrite history because Big Brother 's goal was to make history favor the government. Everything was fabricated in order to force the brainwashed citizens to believe that Big Brother was always right. In Fahrenheit 451, there was no need to rewrite history. People had no interest in reading, all they wanted to do was watch television in the parlors and learn about the latest gossip. The citizens had become so dehumanized that they did not care about the things that actually mattered. There was no desire for books, so people felt no guilt after handing over their neighbors to the police. The burning of books was very public in Fahrenheit 451, and it was said that "people ran out of houses all down the street" whenever a house was being burned (Bradbury 40). This is very different from 1984 where the destruction of records and books was done in secret, behind the walls of the Ministry of Truth. Not every member of society knew that records were being changed, but most did not care. They did what they were told to do and believed what they were told to believe. It was easier to be oblivious in 1984 because the changes were constantly occurring slowly and secretively in every media paper published Even words were destroyed in their language, Newspeak. Characters such as Syme believed that the destruction of words was beautiful, something that would never be thought of in today 's society (Orwell 57). While it took years to change and destroy history in 1984, it took only minutes in Fahrenheit
The Ministry of Truth had to rewrite history because Big Brother 's goal was to make history favor the government. Everything was fabricated in order to force the brainwashed citizens to believe that Big Brother was always right. In Fahrenheit 451, there was no need to rewrite history. People had no interest in reading, all they wanted to do was watch television in the parlors and learn about the latest gossip. The citizens had become so dehumanized that they did not care about the things that actually mattered. There was no desire for books, so people felt no guilt after handing over their neighbors to the police. The burning of books was very public in Fahrenheit 451, and it was said that "people ran out of houses all down the street" whenever a house was being burned (Bradbury 40). This is very different from 1984 where the destruction of records and books was done in secret, behind the walls of the Ministry of Truth. Not every member of society knew that records were being changed, but most did not care. They did what they were told to do and believed what they were told to believe. It was easier to be oblivious in 1984 because the changes were constantly occurring slowly and secretively in every media paper published Even words were destroyed in their language, Newspeak. Characters such as Syme believed that the destruction of words was beautiful, something that would never be thought of in today 's society (Orwell 57). While it took years to change and destroy history in 1984, it took only minutes in Fahrenheit