Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

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Monsters under the bed, drowning, and property damage are topics many people have nightmares about; nightmares about a dystopian future, on the other hand, are less common. Despite this, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and George Orwell’s 1984 display a nightmarish vision about a dystopian society in the near future. Fahrenheit 451 tells of Guy Montag’s experience in a society where books have become illegal and the population has become addicted to television. Meanwhile, 1984 deals with Winston Smith’s affairs in Oceania, a state controlled by the totalitarian regime known as the Party. This regime is supposedly headed by a man named Big Brother. By examining the dehumanized settings, as well as the themes of individuality and manipulation, it becomes clear that novels successfully warn of a nightmarish future. Upon investigating the dehumanized complexion of the societies in these two novels, it is seen that both authors effectively use this setting to convey their warnings. These societies lack positive emotions, particularly love. In Fahrenheit 451, a teenager named Clarisse McClellan rubs a dandelion under Montag’s chin. Since the dandelion doesn’t rub off, she claims Montag isn’t in love. He originally denies this, for he has a wife name Mildred. However, he later realizes “That awful flower the other day, the dandelion! It had summed up everything” (Bradbury 41). Montag has reached the conclusion that he doesn’t love Mildred, his own wife! This epitomizes the dehumanized society of Fahrenheit 451, a society in which there are no strong emotions. Emotions are part of what characterizes humanity. Without them, people would merely be machines. Montag has not experienced love or happiness, and because of this he has not truly ... ... middle of paper ... ...it their warnings about society. As has been noted, Bradbury and Orwell effectively send their warnings to their readers through the use of a dehumanized setting and the theme of manipulation and lies. Despite recognizing the atrocities prevalent in society, neither Montag nor Winston is able to make a large impact on society. At the end of Fahrenheit 451, Montag escapes the city to join a secret civilization living in the woods. The city is destroyed and Montag heads into an uncertain future. On the contrary, Winston is caught by the regime. They torture him and transform him so that he becomes an ardent supporter of them. Despite these different endings, both authors, through merely ink and paper, warned of, and could have helped prevented a world filled filled with hate, ignorance, and misery. Works Cited 1984 by George Orwell Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

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