Perhaps the
most significant theme in Bradbury's is that of the government's control
over freedom of thought.
In the novel, members of society are not allowed to
read books because it promotes freethinking and original thought. Anyone who is found hiding
books is taken into custody, and their books and home burned to the ground. It is not
withoutthat one of the story's strongest rebels against this process is found in Guy Montag. At
the beginning, he is a fireman who burns books and houses. He muses, "It was a pleasure to
burn." However, he receives guidance in the form of Clarisse McClellan's challenging
questions, as well as witnessing the woman at 11 N. Elm Street who is willing to die rather than
live in a world without her books. In response, Montag's once-unquestioned perceptions (based on
the government's dumbing-down propaganda) begin to change.
Beatty provides a
glimpse not only of what the fireman's job is, but also the skewed perspective society has
perpetuated upon its memberswho mindlessly engage in activities and behaviors that deaden them
to individual freedoms, especially independent thoughts and actions:
The important thing for you to remember, Montag, is we're the
Happiness Boys, the Dixie Duo, you and I and the others. We stand against the small tide of
those who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought...I don't think you
realize how important you are, we are, to our happy
world as it stands now.
The government is selling the
idea that ignorance is bliss. Beatty notes that anyone who questions the
norms that are perpetuated within the society is a threat to the collective's overall happiness
and the cause of conflict.
The same might be said of the
politicalthat is often fed to Americans either by political candidates for office or by
representatives of the government that do not always provide citizens with the complete truth.
People are often told what politicians and officials believe the populace
wants to hear. Other politicians or special interest groups that speak out
against these "
sky" ("unlikely to happen") ideas are often vilified and
dismissed.
For example, while there is a great debate about the effects and
fall out from global warming, there are groups that still try to debunk what scientists are
seeing in terms of climate change. Gun control is also a hot topic: one side argues for the
right to bear arms, while others point to devastating attacks in this country by American
citizens upon other members of the community at large with the use of automatic assault
rifles.
Any lobbyist in Washington, DC, that supports the freedom to purchase
and bear arms is in direct conflict with those who oppose firearms, supporting gun control. The
debate rages, in these instances, between government special interest groups and social
institutions/organizations that oppose such widespread freedoms.
One might
argue that a majority of government officials may see a situation of any kind as a problem,
using their influence to bring Americans to their way of thinking, while an
opposing side in the argument will do its best to influence American
perceptions, especially as they are played out in voting booths across the country.
While the control of Bradbury's futuristic society is almost absolute, a few dissenters
are able to turn the tide in saving books (which represent ideas and knowledge) to be a part of
the rebuilding of their society. In modern-day America, there is no absolute control, but the
rhetoric shared with the public is often accepted without question, while small groups of
committed citizens who see things differently do their best to change the widely-accepted
societal norms in this country.
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