Analysis of the Major Characters in Ray Bradburyâs Fahrenheit 451.

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iii Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Tugas akhir ini berisi analisis dari dua karakter dalam novel Fahrenheit 451 karya Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 menggambarkan sebuah negara yang masyarakatnya menghabiskan sebagian besar waktu mereka untuk menonton televisi. Memiliki dan membaca buku dianggap sebagai bentuk pelanggaran hukum di negara tersebut dan sebagai akibatnya, rumah pemilik buku tersebut akan dibakar oleh petugas pemadam kebakaran.

Dua karakter yang dianalisis pada tugas akhir ini adalah Guy Montag dan Mildred. Montag adalah seorang petugas pemadam kebakaran yang sebelumnya tidak pernah mempertanyakan arti pekerjaan dan hidupnya. Montag mengalami perubahan karakter karena ia menemukan makna pada buku-buku yang ia baca. Di lain pihak, Mildred digambarkan sebagai perwakilan masyarakat umum pada masa tersebut. Ia mengisi hari-harinya dengan menonton televisi yang menutupi tiga dari empat dinding ruangan di rumahnya. Ia tidak mengalami perubahan karakter dari awal hingga akhir cerita.

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ii Maranatha Christian University

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Nowadays, people live in the era where technology cannot be separated from daily activities. Every household in the world definitely has at least one TV set. In addition, most people also have their own gadgets, such as smartphone or laptop, which have become important part of their lives. Certainly, technology has made our lives and works easier. However, whether we realize it or not, people have become too attached on technology. For example, there are a lot of accidents happen because people are busy texting on their mobile phones while they are driving and there are also a lot of people who become sedentary because they are too engrossed in watching TV.

One of the writers who are interested in dealing with the issue of the effect on technology in human life is a science fiction and fantasy author, Ray Bradbury. Bradbury’s works usually contain important issues that have contribution to the

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2 Maranatha Christian University to dream of the possibility of life on Mars (“NASA Mars Rover Begins Driving at Bradbury Landing”).

His other important work is Fahrenheit 451, which I choose to analyze for my thesis. Fahrenheit 451 is a depiction of a fantasy futuristic society that is surrounded by masses of technology. In this novel, Bradbury shows his contribution through the society through the social criticism, as it is stated that “The novel is significant as social commentary on the ever increasing importance placed on technology, as well on the effects of television and other mass media on literature” (“Ray Bradbury: Master of American Science Fiction?”). In his novel, Bradbury

wants to criticize the role of television, which at the time when the novel was written was so popular in the America society.

Watching television became more tempting than reading books. As a result, interest in reading was decreased. “In the 1950s, schools began to use television in the classroom because it was becoming apparent that children's reading levels were

dropping” (“Historical Context: Fahrenheit 451”). In the novel people fill their

mind with mindless entertainment from huge television walls in their house and any form of knowledge and literature are abandoned and banned. People are ignorant of their surroundings as they become addicted to TV walls. They never question about anything that happens around them since they do not have space and time to think. Through this novel, Bradbury wants to convey a message about the replacement of the importance of books and knowledge with mindless entertainment from television that surrounds a society.

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3 Maranatha Christian University subconscious discontentment of his life which can be eased only after he finds and reads books, which is considered illegal by the government. He finds that books challenge and broaden his mind. The second character, Mildred, is the reflection of the people in the society, who is always occupied with television and consequently, grows numb and empty-headed. The portrayal of these two characters provides some ideas that support each other regarding the issue in the novel. Therefore, I believe that the analysis of major characters is the most appropriate element to be used to reveal the effect of the issues in the novel as “through the characters, we

can see the author's intent” (“Analyzing Characters in Literature”).

The criticism that I choose to analyze the novel is formalism since “all the elements necessary for understanding the work are contained within the work itself”

(“Critical Approaches to Literature”). Therefore, any other external source is

unnecessary because the information needed for the analysis is available in the novel.

Statement of the Problem

The problems that will be analyzed in this thesis are: 1. What are the characteristics of the major characters?

2. What is the purpose of the author in creating such characters?

Purpose of the Study

According to the statement of the problem, the purposes of the study are: 1. To show the characteristics of the major characters.

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4 Maranatha Christian University Method of Research

I used library research in writing my thesis. First, I began with reading the

primary text, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Second, I searched for additional

information through internet and other references to support my study. Third, I used the information that I had gathered to analyze the primary text. After that, I wrote my thesis and drew some conclusions from the studies I had done.

Organization of the Thesis

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CHAPTER THREE

CONCLUSION

After analyzing the novel, I think it is clear that Fahrenheit 451 contains social criticism towards the role of television in society that has replaced the importance of books and knowledge. The author shows how the characters live their lives and react to the situation that lead them to different ending as to make it easier and clearer for the readers to see the issue that is contained in the novel.

In the fantasy futuristic society that is shown in the novel, the government

fills people’s mind with mindless entertainment from TV walls and creates rules

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23 Maranatha Christian University driven by young people who intentionally try to hit anyone they see walking on the road for fun. People become addicted to TV walls that they do not have much care and thought about other people and what is happening around them.

Mildred is the reflection of the citizen that conforms to the society by letting herself immersed in TV walls. She becomes obsessed with television because she spends most of her time in front of the TV walls watching and doing interactive plays with her virtual ‘family’ from the show. Owing to her obsession with television, she becomes simple-minded as the government gains control of the society by making the society simply receive all kinds of information and meaningless entertainment that the government provides. Mildred and her friends from the TV walls cannot appreciate human life as they consider life as merely process of nature. They think that they can easily replace their family if they die. Mildred is also not disturbed by the war as her friends and she does not understand how dangerous the presence of the enemy bombers flying over the city is. Spending so much time in her parlor watching TV makes her disconnected to reality. She cannot escape the danger as she is unable to sense the threat that comes to the city. Montag imagines that she dies when the atomic bombs destroy the city.

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24 Maranatha Christian University that overwhelms the city as he begins to have independent thoughts. He even feels astonished that people cannot notice if they are so close to danger. Those events become a trigger for Montag to become a rebellious person. After he becomes a fugitive because he accidentally kills his captain, who is about to find out about his plan with Faber, he decides to find a group of intellectual people in his escape. As he leaves the town, he is saved from the atomic bombs.

In conclusion, I think Bradbury’s attempt to prevent such future to become real in our world is clearly seen from the novel. He shows the reader how dreadful a society can be when mindless entertainments from television replace the

importance of books and knowledge from people’s mind to the extreme. People are

so addicted to television. As a result, they do not have much understanding towards everything that happens around them. The society cannot survive and are left with no hope and no future. Bradbury successfully and effectively delivers his social criticism through the portrayal of two major characters in the novel.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Text:

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schusters Paperbacks, 2012. Print.

References:

“About Ray Bradbury.” Ray Bradbury. Harper Collins Publishers. n.d. Web. 15

Apr. 2015.

“Analyzing Characters in Literature.” StudyGuide.org. n.d. Web. 21 Aug.2015.

Baker, Lyman A. “Static and Dynamic Characterization.” Critical Concepts.

K-state.edu. n.d. Web. 17 Sep. 2015.

“Biography of Bradbury.” GradeSaver. GradeSaver LLC. n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

“Critical Approaches to Literature.” Masterworks of English Literature.

Olemiss.edu. n.d. Web. 21 Aug.2015.

“Curious.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 8th ed. 2010. Print.

“Historical Context: Fahrenheit 451.” Westirondequoit.org. Irondequoit High

School Student Resource Center. 10 Mar. 2008. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. Morozov, Evgeny. The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom. New

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27 Maranatha Christian University “NASA Mars Rover Begins Driving at Bradbury Landing.” Mars Exploration.

nasa.gov. 22 Aug.2012. Web. 20 Aug.2015.

“Obsessive.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Online,

2015. Web. 13 May 2016.

“Ray Bradbury: Master of American Science Fiction?” Illinois. The Culture Trip

Ltd, 2015. n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

“Ray Bradbury Biography.” Bio. Biography.com. n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

Analysis of the Major Characters in Ray Bradburyâs Fahrenheit 451.