Dystopia Rising

The two dystopian protagonists, Montag and Neo, portray similar characteristics of their roles. In the book,Fahrenheit 451, the government restricts Montag’s world of access to knowledge because firemen are instructed to burn books. In the film The Matrix, society is a false reality and people do not know they are ‘living’ in a computer generated program. Both characters are faced with similar challenges, but react in different ways. These protagonists have to live through similar conditions and play similar roles in their society, however the circumstances regarding how they play out their roles differ.

Believing or feeling that something is wrong with the society one inhabits is a dominant characteristic of a dystopian protagonist. This is displayed through both Montag and Neo. Neo, living in a computer generated world, senses that there are flaws and present within it . Morpheus, the leader of the humans outside of The Matrix, helps him realize how he is a servant to the program in which he lives.Morpheus sends him signals and messages through technological means to warn and enlist him for help. Another way that Morpheus helps Neo with this realization is by offering him a choice between two pills. Neo is faced with making a decision between a red pill that will reveal the true reality, or a blue pill that will continue his life in this illusionary world. Before he must make this choice, Morpheus tells him, “What you know you can’t explain. You feel your entire life; somethings wrong with the world. You don’t know what, but its there. Like a splinter in your mind driving you mad.” Neo has always sensed some kind of disruption in his society, but could never identify its source. Similarly, this issue is also prevalent in Montag...

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...hermore, the two protagonists, each make an effort to alter their community in a worthwhile way.

In Fahrenheit 451 and The Matrix, restrictions have been made on aspects of life that humans have evolved to find necessary. Montag’s world contains humans living in a dehumanized state, reliant on televisions and computers. While in Neo’s world, most technological devices are banned. These protagonists are considered honorable heroes in their communities because they strived to make a beneficial change to help the members of their society. This topic can be applied to the real world because people often question whether heros like this are still around today. Many people believe that our generation is compliant and would not have this kind of hero. In a community, it is important for people to have different perspectives, this is exemplified through both Montag and Neo.