Theme Of Conformity In Fahrenheit 451

Superior Essays
There are many issues that have formed in the society in both the past and present however, none of them are quite as big as the issues described in “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury. Both the “Fahrenheit 451” society and today’s present day society have had an escalating issue with the effect of screens and conformity and that has changed how the good life is defined.

Over the generation, technology has begun to take over society. In the past there was excitement over the invention of radios and television. Now people are beginning to get drawn into the takeover of technology. Instead of getting excited about new technology, society has already become sick of the old and want the new. Instead of just taking a walk and enjoying the chirping
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Conformity has also taken over the brains of society. For generations people have connected the word different with a negative connotation, because people who are seen different are looked down on. Montag was one of those people. He did not want to conform with the rest of society, because he knew he would not be happy if he was not his true self. Nonetheless the captain did not approve of Montag’s wishes “But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority. Oh God, the terrible tyranny of the majority” (Bradbury 104). Conformity is the standards set for other people that should be followed by all. Captain Beatty did not agree with what Montag was doing and the outcome was not pretty. Beatty burnt down Montag’s house, which in turn filled Montag with rage. Montag was bullied by Beatty for too long and he finally did something about it. In today’s society, adults are not the only ones conforming, children are also falling under the pressure to conform at a young age. If people were to walk into a High School or even a Middle School today they would find children getting put down for being different. Children often find a leader in their friend group and follow or conform to their beliefs. The leader calls the shots, for example, if the leader does not like someone else’s clothes they will get the child to go out and buy new clothes similar …show more content…
Back in history the good life was about none of that. According to Aristotle, the good life is defined by possession and having all that is good for humans throughout their lifetime. In order to live the good life humans needed to acquire these three possession. Bodily goods, which consists of health, vitality, vigor, and pleasure (Aristotle). The second possession all humans need is external goods. This consist of living necessities such as food, drink, shelter, clothing, and sleep (Aristotle). The last possession all humans need is goods of the soul. This consists of knowledge, skill, love, friendship, enjoyment, self-esteem, and honor (Aristotle). When all of these goods were acquired, the god life was achieved. In contrast, this is not the case in today’s society. Instead of paying bills and mortgage, people are more pleased with buying the latest and newest model of technology they cannot afford. Today it is like a competition with each other. Who has the biggest T.V., the newest version of the iPhone, and the most electronics. Today it seems like the good life is never achieved because new versions of technology are also being invented and the purchasing never ends. The good life is defined different in “Fahrenheit 451” all Montag wants is to be happy and he wants to be

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