The 1950s were a very difficult time for many people. Two American authors, Ray Bradbury and John Updike, published literary works during these tough times. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a novel about a dystopian society where the government prohibits the public the access to books. The society’s “fireman” are employed to go around and burn books and the homes of people who possess them. Montag, the main character of the novel, happens to be a fireman. The novel takes the reader along Montag’s journey to rebellion. “A&P”, by John Updike, is a short story about a grocery store worker named Sammy. Sammy’s boss is very strict about some of the store policies. His strict actions lead Sammy to rebellion. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and
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In the novel, the dystopian society that Montag lives in boasts power through fear and mass media. This force of power allows the government to eliminate literature and suppress intellectual pursuits. Bradbury exposes to the reader that the growth of intellectuality is suppressed when he states, “It's fine work. Monday bum Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, then bum the ashes. That's our official slogan” (Bradbury 5). This textual reference lists a few households that Montag had to destroy. This destruction of houses shows how the government has full power of their society. In “A&P”, Lengel appears to have the most power in the majority of the story. Lengel has the power to publicly shame individuals the he believes do not act or dress appropriately. Sammy has a problem with the way Lengel addresses a few females that enter the store that are dressed in swimsuits. Updike writes, “He comes over and says, ‘Girls, this isn't the beach.’” (Updike 58). The condescending way Lengel addresses the girls expresses that he has power in the situation and wants to make that apparent. Lengel’s expression of power is far different from the government’s expression of power in Fahrenheit 451. Lengel’s power is limited to verbal assertion and is also limited to inside the store. The Governments power is oppressive over the entire population and they take physical action to enforce their …show more content…
They are both influenced and controlled by power, but they have different consequences for the actions they take. The development of each of these story lines rely heavily on power. Power is a common theme between the two and without that theme, there would be no
In the novel, the dystopian society that Montag lives in boasts power through fear and mass media. This force of power allows the government to eliminate literature and suppress intellectual pursuits. Bradbury exposes to the reader that the growth of intellectuality is suppressed when he states, “It's fine work. Monday bum Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, then bum the ashes. That's our official slogan” (Bradbury 5). This textual reference lists a few households that Montag had to destroy. This destruction of houses shows how the government has full power of their society. In “A&P”, Lengel appears to have the most power in the majority of the story. Lengel has the power to publicly shame individuals the he believes do not act or dress appropriately. Sammy has a problem with the way Lengel addresses a few females that enter the store that are dressed in swimsuits. Updike writes, “He comes over and says, ‘Girls, this isn't the beach.’” (Updike 58). The condescending way Lengel addresses the girls expresses that he has power in the situation and wants to make that apparent. Lengel’s expression of power is far different from the government’s expression of power in Fahrenheit 451. Lengel’s power is limited to verbal assertion and is also limited to inside the store. The Governments power is oppressive over the entire population and they take physical action to enforce their …show more content…
They are both influenced and controlled by power, but they have different consequences for the actions they take. The development of each of these story lines rely heavily on power. Power is a common theme between the two and without that theme, there would be no