Themes



1. Conformity vs. Individuality: conformity is what most of the characters express in Fahrenheit 451. Conformity is to prevail in social standards, or in other words, impress people. All of the characters at one point show conformity, yet they don't know how to be their own individual. Individuality is very important in life. Montag starts to think more, but as he thinks, he starts to become crazy. (ashley)

2. Knowledge vs. Ignorance: The firemen's job in Fahrenheit 451 is to destroy knowledge. Montag plays along, not knowing any better, but his encounters with Mrs. Blake, Clarisse, and Faber make him question ignorance. As the book progresses, he gains more knowledge and realizes the benefits and consequences of both. (sarah)

3. Censoring- Almost everything is censored to the citizens. They're almost brainwashed, only interested in their own lives. They don't really care about anything else, and the government almost always mutilates the truth, like framing innocent citizens for crimes. (yiyi)

4. Importance of Independent Thought- Throughout the entire story Bradbury pushes and pushes that they root of a healthy civilization and life is free thought. Nobody was happy or functioning when they were just mindless people watching television, but realized their life was horrible after they thought about it (Zack)