Thematic Analysis Of Ray Bradbury s Fahrenheit 451

Thematic Analysis of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 depicts a dystopian society where books are burned to protect the people from a perceived threat of knowledge and the resulting problems an informed and thinking society would bring upon itself. Ignorance is bliss. The theme, fear of knowledge, can be seen throughout this book in the ways the characters Faber, Beatty, and Clarisse speak about, react to, and think about books. The character, Beatty, has the most to say about books, being a fire chief and a â€Å"custodian of peace of mind.† He says books are dangerous because they make people sad and uneasy, and that the only prevention of such feelings is entertainment and mindless distraction. â€Å"Why learn anything save pressing buttons, pushing switches, fitting nuts and bolts?† Beatty warns Montag of the one true villain to watch out for: the well-read man. â€Å"Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man? M e? I won’t stomach them for a minute.† He states, â€Å"We stand against the small tide of those who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought.† By this he means that knowledge found in books will make people unhappy, confused and scared. They will ask questions that have no easy answers. An unthinking, blissful society is easy to control, and Beatty wants everyone to know that he takes his job as a protector of society very seriously. â€Å"The important thing for you to remember, Montag, is we’re the Happiness Boys, the