Historically, books were burned by absolute monarchs, as in the Qin Dynasty of China, during which books of diverse philosophical ideologies were burned in the name of conformity. However, in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the activists engaging in and advocating for the destruction of books are the citizens of the general public. The novel chronicles an emerging dystopian society that is propelled by propaganda and corrupted by a warped and ironic pursuit of equality.
 
In the toxic society that takes place during a future war, media propaganda pervades all aspects of private and public life, holding people spellbound and impeding them from engaging in intimate relationships with family and society. Citizens are prohibited from reading intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking books. Instead, the tyrannical government prompts people to consume books that cater to immediate and shallow gratification. The main character and fireman, Guy Montag, is obligated to burn books, rather than fight fires for safety.  He is expected to find illegal books in possession of citizen "heretics" (anyone holding on to the old ideology). Mildred, Montag's wife, covers the living room's walls with TVs and zones out by plugging her ears with the seashell radio, which allows her to be immersed in an unstopped stream of entertainment. With her mind corrupted by mass media, Mildred becomes obsessed with immersive entertainment and is emotionally distant from Montag. Exacerbating their estrangement, Montag is reluctant to embrace the governing totalitarianism but tolerates the imposed ideology until he meets Clarisse McClellan, his neighbor who questions the oppressive society in which they live. McClellen's rebellious questions help Montag see that he also questions whether he is satisfied with society, his career, and even his marriage. As Montag becomes increasingly discontented with the conformist nature of society, he begins reading forbidden books and has conflicts with his fire chief, who symbolizes the enforcement of conformity.
 
Fortunately, Montag is not alone in his reluctance to embrace society. Faber, a retired English professor, considers himself guilty because he did not actively resist or try to change the direction in which society was heading. After Montag approaches Faber in a park, they learn about each other's ideology. Subsequently, Faber chooses a subtle form of rebellion by assisting Montag, who is willing to confront the tyrannical authorities. The decisive moment that allows Montag to fully awaken to society's hypocrisy is when he witnesses an old woman burning herself along with her books. The woman chose to die rather than make concessions to the government's regime.
 
Afterward witnessing this horrific event, Montag discloses his secret storage of books to Mildred, expressing how curiosity drives his desire to read and learn. Unfortunately, unable to understand his motivation, Mildred reports Montag's "crime" to the government, forcing him to flee so he is not arrested. A manhunt ensues, causing Montag to seek assistance from Faber, who directs him to a community of highly educated individuals who harbor strong dissatisfaction with the government's oppressive regime. In the meantime, after losing track of Montag, the nature of the manhunt is revealed to be a reality show. To provide entertainment, the manhunt selects a scapegoat to maintain public interest through the fast pace of the chase. Eventually, Montag joined the group of academics and theologians. Montag discovers that these well-educated men memorize and preserve the contents of books that have been burned or banned by the government. The war ends abruptly as an enemy jet drops a bomb over the city, destroying the oppressive city that Montag once belonged to. However, the surviving group of men will pass their knowledge of the books they have read and memorized to the future generation, sowing seeds of hope that will grow into a civilization that pursues intellectual freedom.
 
Bradbury portrays how mass media obscures the line between real experience and the virtual environment. Intending to test whether Mildred's conformity to social norms has broken the relationship with him, Montag asks Mildred about the place where they first met. Nonetheless, Mildred dismisses him with "an odd little laugh" (68) and the claim "It doesn't matter" (68). She becomes desensitized by consuming an excessive number of pills, creating a barrier between herself and the genuine human experiences around her. In her medicated state, she retreats into the world of television, where she considers the characters on the screen as her family. The wall between them is comprised of "the uncles, the aunts, the cousins, the nieces, the nephews...that said nothing, nothing, nothing and said it loud, loud, loud" (69). As Mildred turns Montag in to the authorities, the fragile bond she has with Montag ultimately breaks. She is traumatized and deprived of her humanity by mass media, but her encounter is neither extreme nor unique. In the dystopia, there may be millions, or even billions, of Mildreds, thus providing a cautionary tale of the tragic consequences of rapid technological development.
 
Additionally, Bradbury emphasizes in his story that when the word "equality" is abused, even the Constitution becomes the excuse for burning books. According to Beatty, the fire captain, intelligent people "are selected for beatings and tortures...Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal" (87). In situations where one faces oppression because others are envious of their exceptional intelligence, society tends to tolerate the perpetrators while compelling the victim to conform to the norm of average intelligence. Beatty continues, "We can't have our minorities upset and stirred...Colored people don't like Little Black Sambo. Burn it" (89). A book's value is denied when one colored person raises objections toward it. The reason behind the person's hatred (regarding the plot, characters, or setting) is ignored because society focuses on his racial or gender identity. A story's uses of figurative language and characterization are neglected since society only highlights the absence of a minority group. Eventually, when a book is banned unless containing men, women, transgenders, Asians, etc., only "comic books [and]...sex magazines". In essence, the fear of others' success and the unwillingness or sloth to invest efforts in self-improvement constitute a corrupted society.
 
 Despite the bleak portrayal of a future where intellectual freedom is suppressed, Bradbury embeds a sense of hope. By the end, the reader maintains one significant question: Are books destructible? The phoenix appears as a motif that provides an answer to the question. Despite dying in flames, "He sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again. And it looks like we're doing the same thing, over and over" (213). Knowledge is recorded on paper, but it does not die as the papers are burnt. Instead, by using their minds and mouths as "papers", brave people act on their strongly held and preserve the knowledge, bringing them back to life.
 
Fahrenheit 451 is a triumph, warning society that when power is yielded negligently, equality may be misinterpreted, and we may become slaves to propaganda, technology, and mass media. Nevertheless, the ending gives us hope, setting the premise of rebirth on individuals whose desire and love for knowledge do not disappear with the physical destruction of books.