Fahrenheit 451’s
basis and message accurately reflect events that occurred while it was
written. The early 1950 were a time of
chaos in the United States. The Korean
War was starting up and it was a war that many Americans did not want to
fight. This attitude found its way into Fahrenheit 451 and was reflected in the
atomic war that the city was destroyed in.
As stated in previous blogs, the fear of literature becoming government
controlled was started by a senator in our own government. He tried to take foreign literature out of
American libraries. Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 with this concern in
mind. Ray Bradbury also believed that
various responsibilities existed between different people groups in
society. He thought that workers and
bosses have to be accountable to each other.
Guy Montag had to listen to Beatty and obey his commands. This meant even when he was told to set a
room on fire with someone in it, he must.
Beatty on the other hand was responsible for Montag’s wellbeing and
safety. When he knew that Montag took
home a book, he gave him a chance to repent.
This showed that he actually cared about Guy and did not want to fire
him. Mentors and students was another relationship
that Ray Bradbury understood in this novel.
It is not just the student that learns something from this type of
relationship, but the mentor also. “I
feel alive for the first time in years,’ said Faber. ‘I feel I’m doing what I should’ve done a
lifetime ago. For a little while I’m not
afraid. Maybe it’s because I’m doing the
right thing at last. Maybe it’s because
I’ve done a rash thing and don’t want to look the coward to you.” (Bradbury
125). Faber also learned from his
experience with Guy. They both grew
tremendously and probably would not have worked out if they did not meet. Bradbury seemed like he understood this idea,
so a mentor in his life probably left a large impact on him.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment