Knowledge is power, and conformity strips away that power. In the book Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses the characters, Mildred, Beatty, and Clarisse to manifest how society uses conformity to control and dominate individuals thoughts and actions. Clarisse is used, to show the perspective of an extremely social and abnormal teenage girl, in a conformed society where people try to suppress her thoughts and free will. With Beatty, it shows the ideals of conformity in Fahrenheit 451’s, society and the solutions to problems facing the system of conformity. Bradbury also uses Mildred, to show what conformity has achieved, and how she 's become a product of society 's beliefs and ideals. These are examples of how Bradbury uses the characters Clarisse,
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While speaking to Montag, about the negatives of not trusting in conformity, Beatty states that Clarisse “‘didn 't want to know how a thing was done, but why. That can be embarrassing. You ask Why to a lot of things, and you wind up very unhappy indeed if you keep at it. The poor girl 's better off dead.’” (55-56). This shows how Beatty believes people like Clarisse or people who are different are “better off dead” because they have not complied with society 's values. As Beatty was explaining to Montag the advantages of conformity, he said “What do we want in this country, above all? People want to be happy, isn 't that right? Haven 't you heard it all your life? I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren 't they?” (56). This shows how Beatty believes people just want to be happy, and in order to achieve that happiness, everyone must conform and be the same. Another example, is when Beatty arrested Montag, for having a book in his possession and as he confronted Montag he stated “‘now you did it. Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun and now that he 's burnt his damn wings, he wonders why. Didn 't I hint enough when I sent the Hound around your place?’” (123). This quote shows how when containing forbidden knowledge that goes against the conformity in the society of Fahrenheit 451, it results in punishment and the destruction of people 's lives. …show more content…
An example of Mildred 's conformity is. when Montag was curious about who turned him and in reply Beatty “‘nodded.‘But her friends turned in an alarm earlier, that I let ride.’”(111). This shows how conformed Mildred is, because even though Montag is her husband, she still turned him in because she was scared of the truths he was uncovering. Another example is when Mildred asked Montag for a new wall and stated “It 's really fun. It 'll be even more fun when we can afford to have the fourth wall installed.”(19). This shows Mildred 's materialistic demands, and her need for instant gratification which is one of the main ideals of conformity in the society of Fahrenheit 451. While Montag was speaking to Mildred about the truth books could contain Mildred said “‘You want to give up everything? After all these years of working, because one night, some woman and her books’”(49). This shows how blind Mildred is to the truth and how conformed she is to society 's ideals of book loathing even though she does not understand the truth books convey. Bradbury uses Mildred, to exhibit the truths and values society feeds people and expresses this through ignorant acts and selfish
While speaking to Montag, about the negatives of not trusting in conformity, Beatty states that Clarisse “‘didn 't want to know how a thing was done, but why. That can be embarrassing. You ask Why to a lot of things, and you wind up very unhappy indeed if you keep at it. The poor girl 's better off dead.’” (55-56). This shows how Beatty believes people like Clarisse or people who are different are “better off dead” because they have not complied with society 's values. As Beatty was explaining to Montag the advantages of conformity, he said “What do we want in this country, above all? People want to be happy, isn 't that right? Haven 't you heard it all your life? I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren 't they?” (56). This shows how Beatty believes people just want to be happy, and in order to achieve that happiness, everyone must conform and be the same. Another example, is when Beatty arrested Montag, for having a book in his possession and as he confronted Montag he stated “‘now you did it. Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun and now that he 's burnt his damn wings, he wonders why. Didn 't I hint enough when I sent the Hound around your place?’” (123). This quote shows how when containing forbidden knowledge that goes against the conformity in the society of Fahrenheit 451, it results in punishment and the destruction of people 's lives. …show more content…
An example of Mildred 's conformity is. when Montag was curious about who turned him and in reply Beatty “‘nodded.‘But her friends turned in an alarm earlier, that I let ride.’”(111). This shows how conformed Mildred is, because even though Montag is her husband, she still turned him in because she was scared of the truths he was uncovering. Another example is when Mildred asked Montag for a new wall and stated “It 's really fun. It 'll be even more fun when we can afford to have the fourth wall installed.”(19). This shows Mildred 's materialistic demands, and her need for instant gratification which is one of the main ideals of conformity in the society of Fahrenheit 451. While Montag was speaking to Mildred about the truth books could contain Mildred said “‘You want to give up everything? After all these years of working, because one night, some woman and her books’”(49). This shows how blind Mildred is to the truth and how conformed she is to society 's ideals of book loathing even though she does not understand the truth books convey. Bradbury uses Mildred, to exhibit the truths and values society feeds people and expresses this through ignorant acts and selfish