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Comparing 1984 and Fahrenheit 451The main idea that brings the work of Ray Bradbury and George Orwell is that of Dystopia. Although published almost half a decade apart, Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 share many ideas about a dystopian society. The books, however, have distinctive differences, which allude to the varied ideas of these two authors. More than half a century later, a reader is able to observe the parallel sides of each text, including every aspect of construction including character development to how both plots are structures.
Because of the various similarities and the fact that Fahrenheit was published just a few years after Orwell published 1984, it is hard for someone to believe that the former did not draw inspiration from the latter. Both books tell a story of a daring protagonist with a sidekick equally as daring, an oppressive government, and self-motivation to defy society’s status quo.
These two books are brought together by two main themes – alienation and isolation, which appear in each novel’s protagonist. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit, Winston is portrayed as a misfit who does not fit into society. He always has a feeling that life as he knows it is not what it should be and begins to put down these feelings a journal which is severely prohibited. “….Winston saw that he had left the diary open on the table. ‘DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER’ was written all over it….” (Orwell 20). In the same way, Guy Montag, the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451 is a clear representation of isolation and alienation. Guy is a fireman who ironically sets fires to houses that contain books. Similar to Winston’s society, in his, it is illegal to own and read a book. He however, does not understand his society and constantly questions it internally. He lives a good life with a family, friends and is well off financially but this does not help with his isolation.
Works Cited
Orwell, George. 1984. London: Secker and Warburg, 1949. Print.
