If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give

him one. Better yet give him none The novel Farenheit 451 illustrates knowledge as mans burden and draws a strong correlation between that and the pursuit of happiness. Ray Bradbury writes to convey the idea that ignorance is bliss while presenting the reader with his own contradictory opinion on the subject. He depicts a society sheltered from the negative aspects of humanity which shows the damage this ignorance can cause. This is all done in an effort to convey the shortcomings of government censorship. His work effectively highlights the importance of the freedom of thought, which he claims is crucial to living a meaningful life. Early in the novel, the reader is presented with an example of the ignorance prevalent in the society. The protagonist, Montag, interacts with his wife who is the embodiment of the societys ideals. Mildred is distant and unable to interact with her husband as she is void of any type of emotion. Her time is spent living through the fictitious family she watches on television. In her character, we see that Mildred, like the majority of others in this city, is the shell of a human being. She lacks any real interest or emotional qualities, a nature that is ideal in this civilization. Although Mildred is unaware of the things that could cause her pain, she appears to still be unhappy. When the reader is first introduced to her, she had just attempted suicide, a sign that deep down, there is unhappiness. Her attempt to take her own life is a serious issue, one she chooses not to even acknowledge. It is apparent that Mildred firmly believes that by pretending something didnt happen, she is able to remain ignorant and thus, happy. The government looks to remove literature from daily life to make people happy and shelter them from what could cause them pain in an attempt to create blissful ignorance, something that, in Mildreds case, seems to have failed. Instead, the world is occupied by people who are both unhappy and unintelligent. While Bradbury uses Mildred as a representation of society as a whole, he incorporates other characters to contrast the norm. One of the most notable minor characters is Clarisse, a young lady who has no interest in what their culture argues they should be. Clarisses family is unlike all the others, they occupy themselves with reading and conversing, the opposite of Mildred who spends all of her time watching television. When Montag first meets Clarisse, she describes herself as seventeen and insane. Although she is 14 years younger than Mildred, she seems to be a better-rounded person with many different sides and emotions. It is easy to attribute the differences between Mildred and Clarisse to the environments in which they were raised. It is made apparent that Clarisses family is in danger of punishment for their possession of books but they are willing to risk their futures for the knowledge they gain, a sacrifice that is important to their characterization. Since Clarisse is educated, she is considered an outcast by many of her peers which results in her often neglecting school or other requirements. At first, it seems as if Bradbury uses her social struggles to argue in favor of the censorship as she seems to be the only character with a blatantly stated problem. In reality, Clarisse is an outcast but, despite that, she also seems to be the only character who is truly happy. She is charismatic and outgoing while many other characters seem to be shells of humans, devoid of emotions and personalities. It is Clarisse that first causes the reader to consider what happiness really is in the novel when she proposes that exact thought to Montag. It is only because of this educated girl that others begin to see their own pain. After their discussion, Montag sees that he, although ignorant, is not blissful.

One other pivotal character in the work, Professor Faber, is also educated and works to enlighten the reader about the power of books. After Montag becomes aware of the fact he is unhappy, he seeks out books to find the source of his pain. Faber is the one who explains to Montag that it is not the books he is missing but the meaning behind him. Faber gives significant and purpose to the books that was lost through the act of censorship. Literature is the representation of freedom, something that is revoked when the government limits what types of literature are available. Freedom is what Montag and many others are searching for, they are just unaware as the concept is now foreign to them. Although the professors emotional status is not made clear, he is the one who provides the insight into happiness and what it requires. Again, Bradbury is using a minor character to convey the importance of reading with joy, not the much often supported idea of ignorance leading to bliss. Of all the characters presented in Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag, the protagonist is arguably the most important. He begins the novel as another one of the ignorant common people but as the work progresses, we see him transform into something more, someone who is painfully aware of the reality around him and the multifaceted nature of life. When the reader first meets Montag, he is burning down a house that contains books, an act he seems to love. One would think he is happy, he enjoys his job and things dont seem to be too bad for him at home either. Upon reading more, one begins to see that in reality, Montag is not happy, he is actually searching for something that can improve his life from the negative state it is in at the time. Again the reader is presented with an interesting situation, Montag begins looking to literature to find what he feels he is missing from his life. In the process, his situation only gets worse. Over time, he loses his wife, his job, his home and in the end, many of his friends. One understandably thinks that with Montags new enlightenment came pain, he was stripped of the little bliss he began with. At this point, it does seem as if ignorance is the only means of obtaining bliss, even if there is not much to be had. In reality, Montags situation leads him to prevail when many of the characters we meet previously fail. Towards the end of the novel, the city is destroyed by the war and Montag is one of the few survivors. His running from being captured put him in the ideal position, despite the difficulty of the situation at the time and in the end, saved his life. Montag does not have much left in the world but, for the first time, he is able to truly see the world around him. Although the government in the work argues that If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet give him none In reality, as Montag learns in the end, happiness comes when you are able to see many different perspectives. This idea is made more real in the moment when the protagonist is sitting by a fire on the outskirts of the demolished city. In the past, fire was a destructive force that ruined the books that opened his eyes. At this point, he is able to see that fire can also create. It is that fire that is keeping him warm and thus, creating life. In that moment, Montag begins to feel real happiness, not the illusion of bliss that is created through ignorance. Thus, Bradburys point is validated, it is not ignorance but knowledge; that gives us happiness.