Notes

Conclusion

This thesis set out to explore the use of the dystopian genre as a warning against totalitarianism in Ayn Rand’s Anthem and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Though one was written pre-World War II, and the other was written post-World War II, they both use the dystopian convention of exaggeration to address totalitarianism. These novels were chosen because while many thought that totalitarianism was defeated after the allied victory in World War II, this might not be the case. Totalitarianism is not merely a symptom of times of political turmoil or economic recession and can be achieved in different ways, as is shown by both Anthem and Fahrenheit 451. While Rand’s Anthem warns against existing totalitarian regimes in Europe in the 1930s, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 warns against the possibility of a future totalitarian regime in the United States.
Both dystopian novels warn readers that one of the dangers of totalitarianism is conformity. Instead, they exhort their readers to learn from the past and to claim the right to be an individual. Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 dramatize and exaggerate an escalated sense of collectivism, resulting in a totalitarian society. The people in these societies are oppressed by the complete lack of knowledge combined with the eradication of the individual in Anthem, and by the government’s use of consumerism and mass media to control them in Fahrenheit 451. The purported goal of these societies is happiness for all, but by forcing everyone in society to conform to the collective, individual talents and preferences are ignored and emotions are devalued. As both Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 show, this can only result in rebellion against the status quo.
Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 are seemingly utopian worlds of complete equality, but they turn out to be a nightmare for the protagonists. Both Equality 7-2521 and Montag deal with the complex issues of being an individual. They are both trying to be a part of their society and to be independent individuals. Throughout their respective novels the protagonists are in search of their true self, and by means of knowledge of both their own talents and feelings, as well as knowledge about the past; only when they discover other like-minded individuals, do they achieve their goal.
In both Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 knowledge is central in the search for individual identity and against conformity. At the outset of Fahrenheit 451 Montag is a content member of society, happy enough to play out his role and burn books and houses. Only when he gains knowledge and insight through the questions posed by Clarisse does he realize that he is actually unhappy. The novels show that limiting people’s access to knowledge, eradicating critical thinking, and devaluing human emotions inevitably lead to a reaction: there will always be people who are not comfortable ignoring their own needs and talents in favour of the masses.
The protagonists feel that they are different than others and they use this feeling to resist the status quo. They are fighting for their rights as individuals, and they eventually find their true selves by means of gaining knowledge. It is through this knowledge that both protagonists in Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 reach their goal of being a critically thinking individual, free from society’s conformity. Totalitarianism causes a loss of individualism and censorship of the mind: if everyone has to conform and be equal, there is no room for individual thinking. Therefore, before Equality 7-2521 and Montag can become true individuals, they first have to become aware of the situation, question the status quo, and acknowledge their own talents and thoughts in a society that has taught them not to think or question.
Technology is used to oppress the people and control society, but the novels use a different approach to elucidate the danger of totalitarianism: in Anthem technology is completely absent, whilst in Fahrenheit 451 there is an abundance of technology. Rand’s critique of totalitarianism is that she finds that suppression of free thought and knowledge leads to “regression and collapse” (Bernstein 302). By means of dystopian conventions, Rand dramatizes the effects of collectivism by making technology completely absent. Thus if technology is a sign of human progress, Anthem’s conformist society shows the exact opposite. While technology is abundantly present in Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury shows that this does not have to mean a society is better off. Bradbury uses a new technology, mass media, to warn readers that technology can also be used to create a conformist society, especially when it is combined with excessive consumerism as is the case in the dystopian society imagined in Fahrenheit 451.
In both Anthem and Fahrenheit 451, books play an important role: it is by means of the knowledge provided by these books that both Equality 7-2521 and Montag find what it means to be a true individual. According to Filler, this knowledge leads to freedom: freedom to think for oneself, to experience new things, to interact with others on a deeper level, and eventually to become an individual. Unlike Montag in Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist in Anthem only finds books at the end of the novel, but when he does he immediately finds all the answers he is looking for. His knowledge is mostly a result of his curiosity and dexterity. In Fahrenheit 451, however, Montag finds the solution when he encounters like-minded people who want to educate others and preserve knowledge. Equality 7-2521 vows: “I guard my treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of these is freedom” (50-51). By finding their sense of individualism by means of knowledge, Equality 7-2521 and Montag liberated themselves from conformity.
Although both novels were written around the time of World War II, they discuss issues that are still relevant today. In Western societies the principle of equality is under duress. In a world where ‘fake news’ is a trending topic and consumerism seems to become the cornerstone of every western society, a scenario such as the one seen in Fahrenheit 451 seems closer than ever. This is also the strength of dystopian novels: they address topics that always seem relevant. Both Bradbury and Rand seem to imply that there is no ‘right’ scenario to reach a completely equal world, and this is both disheartening and encouraging. Should we even desire complete equality, and what is the importance of the individual? By means of self-reflection, critical thinking, and gaining knowledge about possible (future) scenario outcomes, humanity will hopefully someday find an answer to these questions. Dystopian novels like Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 function as a reminder of the importance of knowledge and the freedom to be an individual.