Comparison of George Orwell's 1984 and Bradbury Rays Fahrenheit 451 - Essay Example

Human beings are deceptive, relations are not trustworthy and truth means nothing big to anyone anymore. These are a few lessons which we learn from two of the most brilliantly written novels of their times, which include George Orwell’s 1984 and Bradbury Ray’s Fahrenheit 451, with the main protagonist of 1984 being Winston Smith and of Fahrenheit 451 being Montag. Both novels revolve around various cases of deception where Winston Smith, who was a low ranking member of a London based ruling party, along with his love interest Julia, believed O’Brien who was deceiving Winston. Winston Smith is not happy with the way his party functions as they lack freedom and the party prohibits freedom of expression along with the right to think individually, thus the state of Oceania is controlled totally not only politically, economically, socially but also mentally and spiritually. Same is the case in the novel Fahrenheit 451 as Montag, who burns books in the American city, lives with a wife in a place where the society does not indulge in book reading or enjoying nature. Instead, they are deprived of meaningful conversations and even thinking freely and independently. They usually spend their time driving fast or watching television or listening to radio. Thus, in both novels the main protagonists live in a society which is not alive spiritually and does not have independent thinking abilities. Winston Smith is not happy with his surroundings and wants the society where he belongs to in order to change just like Montag who is extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with the society he belongs to and thus this frustration, disturbance and discontentment lead the events of George Orwell’s 1984 and Bradbury Ray’s Fahrenheit 451.There is an encounter of both characters in their respective novels with girls who played a major role in changing their lives. For Winston it was a beautiful girl with extremely long hair who became the love of his life, and for Montag it was a girl named Clarisse McClellan who was just seventeen years old. Both girls were extremely innocent and had immense love for nature and people. Winston Smith joins hands with O’Brien, thinking that he is not happy with the way the party is functioning either, taking away the right of people to think freely and act independently. O’Brien confirms that he is working with Brotherhood that is the opposition of the party which members Winston Smith and O’Brien are. Winston now starts working with O’Brien, but the bitter taste of deception was already there for Winston as O’Brien was not against the party – he was a spy who just made Winston believe that he was with Brotherhood. In fact, his real motive was to trap Winston so he can know the mind of him and the thought process which he has against the party (Harold 67) In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Montag also found a well-wisher just like Winston thought he found one in O’Brien. The well-wisher was his chief Beatty. One day when Montag did not go to work, Beatty came to his house and explained him that there was nothing unusual in him, thinking about the books and what the books have to offer. Beatty also explained the history of books and the details regarding them. It was the objection placed by the minorities and special interest groups that led to these books being burned as they were of no good for the society (UGLYHASSNAA69 89). Montag now wanted to start reading, thus he started to do it, and he also wanted support from his wife. Both protagonists of the novels, Winston and Montag, come across as soft-hearted and they rely on the love of their lives. Whether it is Julia in the case of Winston or Montag’s wife, they want their spouses to support and help them in their missions and search for truth. Montag, however, was not successful in getting support from his wife as she was just like the normal society he was a part of, busy in watching television rather than keeping Montag company. Montag finally decided to go and take help from an English professor named Faber he once met. Faber advised Montag to not only simply read the books but also refer to the ideas they hold in his day to day life and freely practice the ideas in order for the betterment of the society. Faber started to help Montag in producing books again and distributing them, but on the other hand, Montag at his own house heard his wife and her friends talking, and their glitziness made him furious, so he took out a poetry book and started reading it in front of everyone. Montag was not aware that he would be much in trouble now as his freedom of speech and mental thoughts would not be appreciated and accepted in the society he was a part of. Montag’s house was burned and Beatty made him burn it himself (“Pajiba – Scathing Reviews” 55). Montag and Winston, both characters of the two novels, show many important realities of the society and the people who are a part of this society. They belong to the class of people who are not happy with the surroundings and they also want a change. They face many hardships and problems but still, they want to bring a positive change in the society, which is beneficial for everyone. They meet various people who help them and also who deceive them. Beatty, who used to pretend that he was a friend of Montag, deceived him and tried to hurt Montag and kill him by the use of the machine which he had set in order to attack Montag. In George Orwell’s 1984 as well, Winston trusted O’Brien and thought he would help him in searching the truth about the party; however, he was a deceiver who took rats and strapped them on his face and head as O’Brien wanted to take Julia away from Winston. Where this broke the courage and spirit of Winston and he started to live a life with the party but without Julia’s love and his love for the big brother increasing with time, Montag did not lose hope and ran away from the trap of Beatty, taking some books with him (Ray 34). Montag ran towards the house of Faber and gave him some money. Faber was going to St. Louis in order to get the books printed. Montag was now successfully able to escape by changing his clothes and wearing Faber’s clothes and finally after a long search, Montag succeeded in finding people who were book lovers and accepted Montag. Montag then led his life becoming a book person and learned much literature work and enjoyed reading. Later on, the city was attacked and bombed; everything was destroyed. Montag along with his friends who were book lovers developed a civilized area and finally were able to come up with a society which accepted their beliefs and thoughts and the freedom of not only reading literature but also following it (“Fahrenheit 451 Summary” 23). Deception is a key point in both novels: Winston trusted O’Brien and believed that he would help him and understand his point of view as he held the same stance; on the other hand, Montag trusted his wife and Beatty, so he told him about his mission with Faber of reproducing books and bringing them back again. The truth was simply deception from O’Brien to Winston and Montag being deceived by his own wife whom he loved truly and also Beatty whom he considered a friend, but the reality was something different as he was not his friend but his enemy who basically wanted to torture Montag and kill him. Beatty started his relationship with Montag by showing concern and respect for him; however, later on, he betrayed Montag and showed his reality by plotting against him and planning to get him arrested or torturing him to death. The reality is bitter and different from what people sometimes think and believe; this is what both novels teach us. Life is strange and manipulative. Winston thought O’Brien was trustworthy and a friend, but the truth was that he wanted to deceive him and his hidden motives were ugly and not what he showed. Beatty also claimed to be a well-wisher for Montag, but in reality he was not his friend – in fact, someone who wanted to harm Montag badly and cruelly Both novels depict the feeling of deception and betrayal, which is hidden under the beautiful curtain of love and affection. It reveals the reality of people and their mind, which is bitter and harsh. The main protagonists of both novels realized that the society they basically wanted to change and thought that they were not a part of, is basically not worth it as people from that society are dishonest and disloyal. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. George Orwell's 1984. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Print. Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print. "Fahrenheit 451 Summary." Shmoop: Homework Help, Teacher Resources, Test Prep. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. . "Pajiba – Scathing Reviews for Bitchy People." Pajiba: Reviews, News, Quotes, & Cultural Commentary. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. . UGLYHASSNAA69. "SparkNotes: 1984: Plot Overview." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013       Read More