Fahrenheit 451 And Brave New World Essay, Research Paper

For more than half a century science fiction writers have thrilled and

challenged readers with visions of the future and future worlds. These authors

offered an insight into what they expected man, society, and life to be like at

some future time. One such author, Ray Bradbury, utilized this concept in his

work, Fahrenheit 451, a futuristic look at a man and his role in society.

Bradbury utilizes the luxuries of life in America today, in addition to various

occupations and technological advances, to show what life could be like if the

future takes a drastic turn for the worse. He turns man’s best friend, the dog,

against man, changes the role of public servants and changes the value of a

person. Aldous Huxley also uses the concept of society out of control in his

science fiction novel Brave New World. Written late in his career, Brave New

World also deals with man in a changed society. Huxley asks his readers to look

at the role of science and literature in the future world, scared that it may be

rendered useless and discarded. Unlike Bradbury, Huxley includes in his book a

group of people unaffected by the changes in society, a group that still has

religious beliefs and marriage, things no longer part of the changed society, to

compare and contrast today’s culture with his proposed futuristic culture. But

one theme that both Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 use in common is the

theme of individual discovery by refusing to accept a passive approach to life,

and refusing to conform. In addition, the refusal of various methods of escape

from reality is shown to be a path to discovery. In Brave New World, the main

characters of Bernard Marx and the "Savage" boy John both come to

realize the faults with their own cultures. In Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag begins

to discover that things could be better in his society but, sue to some

uncontrollable events, his discover happens much faster than it would have. He

is forced out on his own, away from society, to live with others like himself

who think differently that the society does. Marx, from the civilized culture,

seriously questions the lack of history that his society has. He also wonders as

to the lack of books, banned because they were old and did not encourage the new

culture. By visiting a reservation, home of an "uncivilized" culture

of savages, he is able to see first hand something of what life and society use

to be like. Afterwards he returns and attempts to incorporate some of what he

saw into his work as an advertising agent. As a result with this contrast with

the other culture, Marx discovers more about himself as well. He is able to see

more clearly the things that had always set him on edge: the promiscuity, the

domination of the government and the lifelessness in which he lived. (Allen)

John, often referred to as "the Savage" because he was able to leave

the reservation with Marx to go to London to live with him, also has a hard time

adjusting to the drastic changes. The son of two members of the modern society

but born and raised on the reservation, John learned from his mother the values

and the customs of the "civilized" world while living in a culture

that had much different values and practices. Though his mother talked of the

promiscuity that she had practiced before she was left on the reservation (she

was accidentally left there while on vacation, much as Marx was) and did still

practice it, John was raised, thanks to the people around him, with the belief

that these actions were wrong. Seeing his mother act in a manner that obviously

reflected different values greatly affected and hurt John, especially when he

returned with Marx to London. John loved his mother, but he, a hybrid of the two

cultures, was stuck in the middle. (May) These concepts, human reaction to

changes in their culture and questioning of these changes, are evident

throughout the book. Huxley’s characters either conform to society’s demands for

uniformity or rebel and begin a process of discovery; there are no people in the

middle. By doing so, Huxley makes his own views of man and society evident. He

shows that those who conform to the "brave new world" become less

human, but those who actively question the new values of society discover truth

about the society, about themselves, and about people in general. An example of

this is Huxley’s views of drugs as an escape. The conforming members of society

used widely a drug called soma, which induces hallucinations and escapes from

the conscious world for two to eight hour periods. Those very few who didn’t,

John included, mainly did not because they thought the drug either unclean or an

easy escape, one not needed in a society aiming at making life very simple. By

refusing to "go along" in this escape from reality, John is ultimately

able to break from society and define his own destiny. In Fahrenheit 451 Guy

Montag, the main character, is able to see through the government and the

official policies of his society. He does so by gradually beginning to question

certain aspect of society which most simply accept as fact. Montag’s job as a

fireman serves as a setting to show how many people passively accept the

absurdity of their society. Instead of rushing to put out fires, as firemen

today do, Montag rushes to start fires, burning the books and homes of people

reported to have books. This was considered by most people to be a respectable

profession. But on different occasions Montag took a book out of burning homes

and would from time to time read them. From this, he begins to to question the

values of his society. Montag’s marriage also serves a setting to contrast

passive acceptance versus questioning of society’s values. His marriage is not

the happy kind that couples today experience but more like a coexistence. He and

his wife live together and he supports her, though he apparently neither loves

her a great deal or expects her to love him. This relationship and living

arrangement, with its lack of love, is Bradbury’s way of showing what life could

be like if people not only stop communicating but stop thinking and choosing,

thus loosing control over their lives. Montag and his wife continue to live

together though people in that situation today would not hesitate to terminate

such a relationship. Montag’s wife apparently accepts this relationship because

it is normal for the society in which she lives. (Wolfheim) Like Brave New

World_characters escaping from reality through the use of soma, Montag’s wife,

and many other characters, escape through watching a sophisticated form of

television. This television system covers three of the walls of the Montag’s TV

room (they can’t afford to buy the screen to cover the fourth wall), has a

control unit that allows the watchers to interact with the characters on the

program and another unit that inserts Mrs. Montag’s name into specific places,

thus creating the image they the characters are actually conversing with them.

Montag’s wife, having only a few friends and ones she rarely sees, spends much

of her day in this room, watching a program called "The Family", a

government sponsored program that shows the viewers what life at home should be

like. The problem with this is that Montag’s wife takes the program as a

substitute for reality. She is almost addicted to the program, much as people

were with soma in Brave New World. Bradbury uses this television and it’s

programs as a way of showing the escape he is worried people will look for in

the future. Without actively questioning society’s values, he is concerned that

people will look for ways to idly spend their time. But like Marx, Montag

chooses not to take part in this addiction. By abstaining, he can see the

affects it’s use has on the people around him, much as Marx and more importantly

John the Savage saw in their culture. Both authors try to show that with life

made easier by strong government control and a lack of personal involvement

people will no longer spend their time thinking, questioning or developing their

own ideas. Through these various diversions from normal behavior in society,

Marx, John the Savage and Guy Montag are able to see the truths behind the

societies they live in and are able to learn about themselves. And though their

discoveries meant that their lives would be changed forever, the authors

succeeded in showing that the key to humanity lies in thinking and questioning.

These men found themselves through their own discoveries, much as Bradbury and

Huxley hope others will do.

Allen, Walter The Modern Novel. Dutton, 1964 May, Keith M. Aldous Huxley.

Paul Elek Books Ltd., 1972 Wolfheim, Donald The Universe Makers. Harper and Row,

1971