Censorship in a Society in Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example

Censorship of materials is detrimental for a society.  In Fahrenheit 451 the main character, Montag, lives in a society where books are burned and knowledge is scarce.  Since many things are censored, citizens entertain themselves by watching mindless television programs. The people in Montag’s society are violent, unaccepting of new ideas, and ignorant. People kill each other, burn houses down, and do not care about one another. Thus, censorship impacts a society negatively by making citizens ignorant, having a lack of social connections, and having a risk of being caught with censored material.

Having censorship in a society makes the citizens ignorant. In fact, in the protagonist Montag’s society people are very unaware and unknowledgeable about the things going on around them. In fact, Montag says, “Mildred, leaning anxiously nervously, as if to plunge, drop, fall into that swarming immensity of color drown in its bright happiness. The first bomb struck.” (Bradbury 152) This quote is an example of metaphor because Montag is comparing the parlor walls to a “swarming immensity of color.” It shows how Mildred, Montag’s wife, was completely unaware of everything around her and so focused on the parlor walls that she didn’t even realize she was about to die. This quote is important because it demonstrates the ignorance of a society like Montags. A real-world example of this would be if someone were to have their headphones on and a fire alarm where to go off, that person might not hear the alarm and be in a fatal situation. As a result, being unaware of what is happening in real life and being ignorant can end in something terrible. Additionally, people in Montag’s society do not look at things with diverse perspectives. For example, Montag says, “It was not burning, it was warming.” (Bradbury 139) This quote is an example of a symbol and is important because in Fahrenheit 451 fire symbolizes destruction by burning books and houses, and conciseness by showing how fire can be more than one thing. Montag did not realize that fire could also give as well as take because being a fireman all he did was take with fire. In the real world, for example, when someone has a house fire they would most likely be afraid of fire and think that it is evil and destroys things, but if someone were to light a candle then they would see it as giving light. 

In other words, things can often be viewed in different ways. Thus, suppression of material in a society makes its citizens ignorant.

A society which has censorship has a lack of social connections. First of all, in Montag’s society people don’t care about other people. For example, Montag says, “Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn ‘em to ashes, then burn the ashes.” (Bradbury 6) This quote is an example of alliteration because it has repeating consonant sounds. Montag is reciting the firemen’s slogan which demonstrates how the firemen have no regard for others with books and will burn them without hesitation. This is important because it shows that with censorship, comes lack of empathy. Additionally, in the real world, book burning was very common when Hitler controlled Germany. They would burn books that disagreed with their beliefs and teachings. They would burn without mercy or sympathy. In other words, in a society with censorship, if people don’t think the way the government does, they pay a price. Furthermore, censorship also makes people shallow. For example, Montag says, “Cheshire Cat smiles.” (Bradbury 86) This quote is an example of an allusion and a metaphor because he is comparing Mildred and her friends' smiles to the smile of the Cheshire Cat from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carol. The Cheshire cat is known for having a fake, deceiving, and unsettling smile. This shows how censorship impacts a society by showing how hollow it can make a person. It is important because it shows how shallow and fake Mildred and her friends are. An example of this in the real world is when someone is overly cheery to someone without actually being happy. This is significant because someone can appear happy without actually being happy. Overall, censorship can cause damage to social connections.

Lastly, censorship in a society gives the chance for a person to be punished if caught using restricted material. In fact, in Montag’s society someone can be sent to prison for owning a book as well as getting their house burned down. For instance, Montag says, “Montag felt the hidden book pound like a heart against his chest.” (Bradbury 37) This quote is an example of a simile because Montag is comparing the stolen book to a heart. Montag is so scared of getting captured that he can feel his heart beating from nerves. It is important because it shows how scared Montag is of the repercussions. A real world example of this would be if someone were to be researching how to make a bomb, they would probably be very cautious of getting  arrested. In other words, someone doing things that they shouldn’t do runs the risk of being punished. In addition to that, Montag faces public humiliation if he is captured. For example, Montag says, “Twenty million Montags running soon.” (Bradbury 131) This quote is a hyperbole because it is an extreme exaggeration. It shows that if Montag was to get apprehended, everyone watching the parlor walls would see. Furthermore, this quote is important because it shows that Montag was worried about being found. A real-world example of this is when a criminal is arrested, people usually see it on the news. As a result, when someone uses censored material, they try to not get caught. When censorship is implemented into a society, people risk being discovered if using censored material.

In conclusion, Censorship has a negative impact on society. Having censored material makes people ignorant by depriving them of knowledge. Lack of social connections is also a negative effect that censorship has on society. The people in Fahrenheit 451 do not care about one another and have no empathy for anyone. Chance of punishment is a negative effect that censorship has on society as well. Those who do own censored material live in fear. Censorship does a lot more harm than it does good.