Knowledge, our Biggest Asset and Liability

A Thematic response to Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

Every day, most of us wake up, dragging our feet in the routine of reality, the thoughts, the questions of Life, slowing us down. It is a dreary existence, but one that is widely endured. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury illustrates to us a world without purpose. It has nothing of meaning, no books, and no scholars. Nobody to challenge anybody else’s thinking of how the world should be. Although at times knowledge seems to be our biggest burden, it is essential for society to prosper.

Guy Montag had lived his life in a shell, unnecessarily protected by the government. The same government bent on destroying books and, in their eyes, conflicts within itself. The memory of books was not lost though. Nothing can ever be truly forgotten. Those that had been associated with books were scorn from society, as if they were criminals. This kind of government is the worst thing imaginable to the scholars of today. All of those who are aware are at a complete loss, for the terror and conceit brought forth by this government. Scholars are the most important people in democracy, but without them it can be a dictatorship without the citizens’ knowledge.

At one point, Faber, the retired English professor, said, to Montag,” Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least know that you were headed for shore.” This referring to that if Montag wanted to know that he lived a full life moving society toward the correct path, he would need to take some risks. This is especially dangerous when you are considered a high ranking official in the government that directly opposes the way that you are headed. Faber was Montag’s savior, but to the rest of the world he and Montag were as heretics. He showed Montag The Light in a world of darkness.

Without the fear of the unknown that knowledge presents us with, life would seem to be very peaceful and worry free. Which it could be, but that is when we could be controlled like animals by the least fit to do so. Without knowledge we do not control ourselves. To allow any measurable or meaningful progress in society to occur, we must burden ourselves with the thing that presents most fear. With that fear, we push each other, we push ourselves, and we push society to be better.