The Threats of an Over-Controlling Government: A Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451

Today’s world is far from a utopia, or perfect world with no negative thoughts or feelings, but is that a good or a bad thing? Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World, and Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451, show several similar effects of what may happen to the human race if the government over-controls the countries’ citizens. In Brave New World the controlling government, or the “World State,” uses brainwashing and chemical persuasion to make the people of the country believe and follow the value of the society. In Fahrenheit 451, the government forbids the use of books to prevent the citizens from learning about the history of the world. The government goes from house to house burning every book in sight. Both of these types of governments cause a threat of physical, emotional, and mental abuse for those who disagree with the ways of the established group.

Both Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 show the physical and mental abuse that a human may face if they go against the ways of a the government and society. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag begins to wonder about the reason for why he is burning books and what makes them so bad. When he is at the old women’s house, a book falls into his hands “like a white pigeon, wings fluttering, ” (Bradbury 37). Without thinking, Montag places the book inside his jacket. After getting home from work, he starts to suffer mental abuse from taking the book. Montag reads some of the book and begins to wonder and argue with Mildred, his wife, on why he is a fireman.

Montag starts a plot to destroy the system of firemen by placing books in their houses. The plan is soon broken up; Montag ends up burning his own house and his captain, Beatty. Montag is now facing a threat of physical abuse from the gove...

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...d from the over controlling government.

Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 are great warning signs for today’s societies and one of the future. Negative things such as violence and the use of drugs may not be good, but going to great extents to prevent these may not be the solution. I believe the solution is to better enforce the laws created by the government and keep previous offenders off the streets for good.

Works Cited

Schmerl, Rudolf B. "Aldous Huxley's Social Criticism." Chicago Review (Winter-Spring, 1959): 37-58.

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1932.

Huxley, A. (2004). Chemical Persuasion. In A. Huxley, Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited (pp. 296-303). New York: Harper Perenials.

Huxley, A. (2004). Brainwashing. In A. Huxley, Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited (pp. 287-295). New York: Harper Perenials.