Freedom of thought is taken for granted in today’s society, but in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, society works differently. This freedom, or lack thereof, is not recognized until fireman, Guy Montag, proves to himself that thoughts are important. Through a maze of censorship and curiosity, Montag faces his government because of his interest in books. This book shows that everybody should have the right to think freely because it eases curiosity, promotes creativity and imagination, and encourages beliefs.
Curiosity can become an obsession if it is not controlled. Montag becomes a puppet of his own curiosity, and as a result, he faces consequences unexpected by himself or anybody around him. Beatty, the cruel fire chief, even knows that “every fireman, sooner or later hits this,” or becomes curious about books (Bradbury 83).
Even when Montag realizes that his inquiry can hurt his wife, Millie, he still continues to search for answers because he believes it to be the right thing to do for himself and the best thing for his city. His downfall directly affects everybody close to him. All people should have the right to be curious, but if thoughts were not controlled there would be fewer relationship problems and less confusion.
Another reason freedom of thought is important is that it promotes creativity and imagination. This unique individuality is what makes a person who they are and what role they play in society. The people in society are much like books, so books are a symbol of people. A book has qualities that makes it different just as a person is made different by their own individuality. Therefore, “there must be something in books [people], things we can’t imagine” that makes an individual their own person (Bradbury 81).
The Essay on Book Montag
Ever since the holocaust, schools around the United States and Europe students are taught a whole unit of genocide. This unit is implanted to teach the children what has happened in the past to prevent history from repeating itself. The motto they teach by is, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat It.” -George Santayana. Now that children are aware of genocide ...
Imagination and free thought go hand in hand in similarity. This imagination, or free thought, is creativity; therefore, freedom of thought is important to individuality and society.
In one case, Bradbury speaks of a woman who “spoils the ritual” and defies the law and is burnt with her books as if she were a martyr (Bradbury 66).
This shows that the woman believed that books were okay and freedom of thought should be free. The woman’s belief cause governmental punishment that only pushed her to stand even more firm on what she believed. Also, beliefs create similarities in people who help them to genuinely relate to one another in authoritative situations and in general life. Some of these relations form friendships, and friendships form a web of peace in society and work places. For this reason, thoughts and beliefs are important in society to help maintain healthy relations and authority rolls.
In today’s society, people can crush one’s freedom of thought by prohibiting it and discarding its importance. It is important to maintain a culture of free thought so that everybody can experience equality. Fahrenheit 451 is relevant to equality and freedom of thought because it shows Montag’s journey to promote these freedoms. When Montag overcomes his society and moves into the natural world he realizes just how important his thoughts are. In many ways, Montag is an example of the power of free thought and its effects of society. According to these facts, it is logical for all people to be able to have a right to free thought and the ability to develop themselves with the power of thoughts.
