Governments in the 21st century tend to be good-willed governments that impose fair taxes and take care of their citizens. Astonishingly, Thoreau still might consider our governments borderline tyrannical because he believed “that government is best which governs not at all” (Thoreau 1). The governments in our world today may seem bad to Thoreau, but he would be absolutely repulsed by the dystopian government as we see it in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.
The government in Fahrenheit 451 violates Thoreau’s analysis that the best government governs least because it restricts their access to literary documents and it controls and brainwashes its citizens.
The main theme throughout Fahrenheit 451 is the burning of books. The government teaches its firemen to “burn all and burn everything [and that] fire is bright and clean” (Bradbury 23) to effectively use them as a tool in burning every piece of literature they can find. Not only do the firemen burn the books they find, …show more content…
The first example of the government controlling its citizens is seen when Montag asks Beatty about Clarisse McClellan after she disappears and is nowhere to be found. Beatty responds: “Clarisse McClellan? We’ve got a record of her family. We’ve watched them carefully. You can’t just rid yourselves of all the odd ducks in just a few years” (Bradbury 57). This reveals that the government uses the firemen to monitor anyone who seems to be going astray or being too creative for their liking. Clearly this is an outrageous violation of privacy, as well as Thoreau’s ideas. This shows that the government will spy on and manipulate their citizens for their own
The government in Fahrenheit 451 violates Thoreau’s analysis that the best government governs least because it restricts their access to literary documents and it controls and brainwashes its citizens.
The main theme throughout Fahrenheit 451 is the burning of books. The government teaches its firemen to “burn all and burn everything [and that] fire is bright and clean” (Bradbury 23) to effectively use them as a tool in burning every piece of literature they can find. Not only do the firemen burn the books they find, …show more content…
The first example of the government controlling its citizens is seen when Montag asks Beatty about Clarisse McClellan after she disappears and is nowhere to be found. Beatty responds: “Clarisse McClellan? We’ve got a record of her family. We’ve watched them carefully. You can’t just rid yourselves of all the odd ducks in just a few years” (Bradbury 57). This reveals that the government uses the firemen to monitor anyone who seems to be going astray or being too creative for their liking. Clearly this is an outrageous violation of privacy, as well as Thoreau’s ideas. This shows that the government will spy on and manipulate their citizens for their own