A comparison of government control shown in the use of dehumanization

and punishment in Fahrenheit 451 and Night

Campbell McGarvey

Jose Manimbo

Kayla Brizuela

Christian Quizon

Alissa Koretoff

Adv. World Literature

Word Count: ####

 Fahrenheit 451 as well as Night contain themes that contribute to the overall feeling of

government control. This feeling causes the people of the society to feel helpless and not

comfortable in where they live because they cannot control anything that they do in their lives.

The themes that contribute to this feeling of government control is the dehumanization of the

people in the story, as well as the punishment that these people face when they break the slightest

of rules. The government control is similar within Fahrenheit 451 and Night because of the

severe punishment that the prisoners get when they break the law as well as the

dehumanization, which makes the citizens feel like they are not really people and that their lives

dont matter at all to the people of power in these societies.

The citizens of these societies were subjects of dehumanization where they had none of

their unalienable rights as humans. The Jews in the concentration camps were not allowed to do

anything relating to their beliefs and morals. This is similar to the citizens of Fahrenheit 451

because they cannot have their own beliefs. This case is different from the Jews in Night because

the citizens in Fahrenheit did not know anything else than this. The people in Fahrenheit 451 did

not know any better or have any other beliefs because since they were born, they had been taught

to hate books and think that knowledge outside of what they were taught was bad. The author

states "You're one of the few who put up with me. That's why I think it's so strange you're a

fireman, it just doesn't seem right for you, somehow. He felt his body divide itself into a hotness

and a coldness, a softness and a hardness, a trembling and a not trembling, the two halves

grinding one upon the other. (Bradbury 28). This quote shows how the people who were in

Fahrenheit 451 could not have any outside knowledge because they were taught that it was bad.
The citizens were told for all of their lives that anything outside what the government told them

was incorrect.

The people who were in Fahrenheit 451 and Night also had very severe punishments for

even the smallest infractions of the rules. Elie Wiesel said in his writing, One day when Idek

was venting his fury, I happened to cross his path. He threw himself on me like a wild beast,

beating me in the chest, on my head, throwing me to the ground and picking me up again,

crushing me with ever more violent blows, until I was covered in blood. As I bit my lips in order

not to howl with pain, he must have mistaken my silence for defiance and so he continued to hit

me harder and harder. (Wiesel 73). This quote shows the violence that the prisoners in the

concentration camp faced there. Elie did nothing wrong during this quote but was still beaten

because he wasn't able to do anything about what Idek did because he is a prisoner. An example

of the punishments that the citizens of Fahrenheit 451 faced are shown in this quote by Bradbury,

"It is computed that eleven thousand persons have at several times suffered death rather than

submit to break eggs at the smaller end."

(Bradbury 9). This quote shows that the people are subject to punishments by the government

even if they dont do anything wrong. The citizens in Fahrenheit 451 could be beaten or they

would disappear away from society forever. The punishments faced by the people in

Fahrenheit 451 as well as Night were very similar to each other because they were punished very

severely and for no reason at all.

The dehumanization of the people during the Holocaust described in Night had people

striped of most of their rights. Especially the right to read the Torah in the camps, this is similar

to the citizens of Fahrenheit 451 where reading was also illegal. The guards of the camps also

had similar features to the firefighters in Fahrenheit 451; both of them doing what they believe is
right. The guards and firefighters were the ones enforcing the rules and promoting the

dehumanization. Both of them also unaware that they were causing harm, but instead in their

minds doing good by burning books or Jews. The holocaust was started when Germany was in a

economic depression, Hitler made all the citizens believe that the Jews were to blame thus

releasing multiple laws and propaganda to dehumanize the Jews. This is similar to the

firefighters in Fahrenheit 451 in blaming the books. Along the time period the government

blamed books for their struggle of some sort thus firefighters destroying books, dehumanizing

people.

The definition of dehumanization is the process of depriving a person or group of positive

human qualities. The novels, Fahrenheit 451 and Nights, share this theme. The people that lived

within the society were taught that the knowledge of information was a bad thing, so they gained

control over the people by feeding them limited information. This connects to modern day

civilizations such as North Korea and some parts of China. But slowly, they stripped each and

everyone of them of who they used to be. In Fahrenheit 451, the government told the population

that books were banned and you will be burned along with the books and your house if you were

to break this rule. They were monitored everywhere they went. Same thing with the Jews in the

concentration camps. The Germans were fed misinformation about the Jews so they turned

against them. The Germans dragged the Jews into the concentration camps and they told them if

they were to ever break a rule, they'd die. The predictions of the world through novels are

horrifying.

The punishments that people received were gruesome and enforced by the guards and

firefighters were especially cruel. In the concentration camps people faced immense suffering,

and even more if they were to break the rules. They would face an execution, or get their food
rations shortened down causing their little supply food to be even less. Some were also killed just

because they are women or too young or old to work. Even worse was their family witnessing

other family members dying. The punishments people received in Fahrenheit 451 for breaking

laws were just as bad. The people could be imprisoned, killed or gone missing. If they were

caught to be reading they were for sure to have their books burned down and killed in some sort

of way.

Punishment was harsh, each option including a fiery death. The harsh punishments kept the

crowds under control. It was a way to get them to listen, to behave. The Germans forced the

people of the concentration camps to watch. Their executions were daily as well as torture.

Everyone lived in fear. They kept praying that God would help them. Eventually they stopped

and lost hope. This stripped them of their beliefs and the person that they were. Fahrenheit 451

controlled the people by brainwashing and surveillance. They told their people there wasn't

anywhere else but this town. If you were to break the rules, you'd be hunted down and either

murdered or captured and no one would ever see or hear from you again. Punishments in both

societies were to keep the people in check and to not get any ideas about trying to rise up against

the power.

The dehumanization of the control in the F451 is caused by the government control by

punishment and fear. Fear makes people follow laws and obey the rules, without it the world in

real life and in F451 would be chaotic and full of savages. Because of no consequences of

making their decisions and needs that they want to do. Also making the people want power and

control, and whoever has the most, would bring back fear and consequence, the circle of life.

Which is also dehumanization by having no rules or laws, also no consequences. Making a big

impact in the government by having more of the control to society, having to make it better for
the future, or else it would collapse like in F451, revolving around the decisions made by the

people and the government. With a few people bending the laws or rebelling, having a

saying,life is simple, you make choices and you dont look back.

In the story Night has the almost the same similarities by having many of the

disciplinary actions and authority. Making the people in the camp being very compact and strict

than in F451, the government wanted to kill the people by hunger, but the process took long so

they used different methods, where the people suffered, it was tragic and an event we wont

forget and never do, ever. Even if theres a saying where history repeats itself, we wont let this

event happen to us. Every event has a background with reasons, Hitler wanted to blame the Jews

because of their country's political and economic downgrade, but this was not the answer for all

the innocent people. The authority of the government cant be overpowered to the people since it

would result in slavery again.

The connections between Night and Fahrenheit 451 have a symbolic meaning. In the

Jews and the Nazis in Night represent Montag and the Hound in Fahrenheit 451. In the camps of

the holocaust many Jews committed suicide to escape the abuse brought by the Nazis. In

Fahrenheit 451 one of the characters, Mildred tries to kill herself because she doesn't know what

is important anymore and her life has no meaning. ...and breath going in and out, softly, faintly,

in and out her nostrils, and her not caring whether it came or went, went or came. (Bradbury,

13). This is similar to the questioning that Elie had about his faith. Elie had to make sure that he

stuck with what he was suffering for so that it was worth it.

The punishments in Night and in Fahrenheit 451 were very similar in that if you didn't

obey the strict and unnecessary laws, then you burned. In Fahrenheit 451 it was with books and

the government controlled the people by punishing them if they had books. Mrs. Blake hids
books in her home and when the government found out the firemen burned her entire house

down. In Night if you tried to disobey the Nazi guards then they would burn entire Ghettos to the

ground. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag tries to revolt by keeping and reading books. This results in

the government trying to kill him so that more people don't read books. In Night it was much

more cruel because the government's reason for burning people was simply because of their

faith. My forehead was covered with cold sweat. Still, I told him that I could not believe that

human beings were being burned in our times; the world would never tolerate such crimes

(Wiesel, Ch. 3). The punishments of the government were unjust but those were the rules.

Fahrenheit 451 and Night have very similar themes, those of which contribute to the

overall feeling of government control. Through the feeling these themes create, it causes the

dehumanization of the people, having to live lives in which they can not be able to do anything

as everything is controlled. The peoples of Fahrenheit 451 were dehumanized, removing rights to

read and think critically. Along with night where the Jews were criticized and stripped of most of

their rights having very little to eat and separated from their family, and facing death. People

from both of the books also faced severe punishments to ensure they followed the rules, and

contributed to total government control, making the citizens feel that they aren't people and that

their lives do not matter.

 Works Cited

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