A major theme in Fahrenheit 451 is ignorance vs.
knowledge. In the novel most of the people are ignorant. They are ignorant
because they do not see how they are being deceived. Books are completely off
limits and illegal because they are awful things to them (Bradbury). They do not realize
that books are not bad at all and they are just being told not to read them so
everyone can have equal advantages. To them they know a world without books,
and that is fine and normal to them. They do not know what books are all about,
and do not care to find out (Bradbury). They say ignorance is bliss, however in this case I
do not think so. The other hand is having knowledge of what the books can bring
to your life. In the novel this was usually the elderly people passing down
their knowledge that books are not bad, but actually very good, to the younger
generation, and so on and so forth. The people with the knowledge of these
books felt empowered with so many new things, but also a little scared. The
fact that they knew or had books could also get them sent to an institution, or
even worse, dead (Bradbury). In the situation in the novel both knowledge or ignorance
were not the best place to be, there were gains and losses with both. Choosing a
side would have to be based on your interest and willingness to live on the
edge or in safety. Guy chose to be on the dangerous side and choose the books.
He had been collecting them for awhile, but never go t the courage to read them
until he met Clarisse. She opened his eyes to the world that lived on the edge
and did not play by the rules. Mildred, his wife, wanted to be on the side of
ignorance and not end up arrested or dead (Bradbury). Both sides were shown and proven to
have ups and downs in the novel.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit
451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print.
thx m8
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