President John F. Kennedy once said “conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” The concept of conformity and individuality is clearly illustrated in the novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. Like most dystopian novels, Fahrenheit 451 contains a damaged society in which the people use technology as a distraction to avoid any critical thinking. The lack of meaningful relationships that the masses have with their family displays technology’s negative impact on this society. Books are burned by firemen in this dystopia, for they are believed to contain abstract concepts that are damaging. In this world, everyone practices conformity and anyone who stands apart from the majority as an individual is considered dangerous. Similar
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Both the telescreens and the seashell radios distract the masses’ and prevent them from thinking and realizing that there is something wrong with their society. Both Orwell and Bradbury use these tools to spread their message on the value of abstract thinking and knowledge as well as importance of individualism. The main reason why conformity in 1984 is different from conformity in Fahrenheit 451 is because of their government. In 1984, the Party controls everything and sets all the rules, it can be assumed that Big Brother took control of the country and made it what it is today. However, in Fahrenheit 451, the people chose this life. They chose laziness and technology over love and books, and they continue to make this choice every single day by choosing to spend time in their parlor rooms instead of having a conversation with their family. Although, firemen do exist, their only job is to burn books, not take away love within families. That is something the masses are doing all on their own. There is no definitive government that is forcing the people to act this way, the people want to act this way. These dystopian novels use Montag and Winston’s struggle to achieve individualism and break free from conformity, to remind the readers of the importance of being an individual and the dangers of conformity as well as the fact that individuals are capable of halting the damage of a society built on
Both the telescreens and the seashell radios distract the masses’ and prevent them from thinking and realizing that there is something wrong with their society. Both Orwell and Bradbury use these tools to spread their message on the value of abstract thinking and knowledge as well as importance of individualism. The main reason why conformity in 1984 is different from conformity in Fahrenheit 451 is because of their government. In 1984, the Party controls everything and sets all the rules, it can be assumed that Big Brother took control of the country and made it what it is today. However, in Fahrenheit 451, the people chose this life. They chose laziness and technology over love and books, and they continue to make this choice every single day by choosing to spend time in their parlor rooms instead of having a conversation with their family. Although, firemen do exist, their only job is to burn books, not take away love within families. That is something the masses are doing all on their own. There is no definitive government that is forcing the people to act this way, the people want to act this way. These dystopian novels use Montag and Winston’s struggle to achieve individualism and break free from conformity, to remind the readers of the importance of being an individual and the dangers of conformity as well as the fact that individuals are capable of halting the damage of a society built on