Similarities and Contrasts
The book Fahrenheit 451 and the movie Equilibrium have some similarities and contrasts:
Suppression of Free Thought
Both the book and the movie delve into the topic of the suppression of free thought; in both cases, the concept of free thought is considered as being dangerous for society due to the potential it could have in creating subversive groups (i.e. groups that are against the actions of the government). It is due to this that the authoritarian government present in both stories focuses on the repression of free thought via the use of specialized groups of individuals (i.e. the Clerics and the Firemen) to destroy materials that encourage such thinking and to arrest the offenders that possessed them.
One of the main differences between the two is how they go about the method of suppression. In Fahrenheit 451, the government is fine with merely burning the books and keeping them out of the hands of ordinary people; in Equilibrium, the government takes a harsher stance where the population is forced to take an emotion-suppressing drug.
Origin of Suppression
While both the novel and the movie both delve into how suppression was implemented, they have different reasons as to why it was done. In the case of Equilibrium, suppression was seen as a necessity since emotion was viewed as the source of the destructive wars and conflict that nearly destroyed human civilization. Since the people in the world of Equilibrium are essentially survivors of World War III, the repression of emotion was viewed as a necessary evil to keep civilization going. In the case of Fahrenheit 451, the suppression of knowledge was apparently due to changes in society where people began to lose interest in books due to the creation of new forms of media and the short attention span of the populace.
In fact, “book burning” began as a way of appeasing the general public due to the negative perception that various groups had over the content of certain books. When looking at both reasons, the one used in Equilibrium did make sense to a certain extent, but the reasoning used in Fahrenheit 451 is simply bizarre. You cannot help but think that in Fahrenheit 451 small groups of people were able to hijack the system and get ideas they wanted to be implemented simply because the masses did not care enough to stand up and do something about it.
The Journey of John Preston and Guy Montag
The characters John Preston (Equilibrium) and Guy Montag (Fahrenheit 451) have remarkably similar journeys throughout the course of their respective plotlines. This can be seen in the following stages in their character development:
Duty to the Government
Initially, both characters are shown to be devout members of the government and perform jobs that are connected to the suppression of free thought. For Preston, this comes in the form of destroying emotionally stimulating materials (ex: books) and arresting/killing “sense offenders”. In the case of Montag, he also performs a similar task as a “fireman” where he also destroys books and sometimes is guilty of being complicit in the deaths of the people that continue to protect them.
The Event
Both characters encounter what can only be described as “the event” that causes them to look at their jobs and the world in a new light. For Preston, this came in two stages where he first encounters and kills his partner Partridge for reading a book of poems and then subsequently feels emotions when he does not take his dose of premium. For Montag, his “event” manifested when he had to burn down a home filled with books with the old woman who was protecting them decided to die in the burning home. In both instances, the characters experienced an emotional situation that caused them to look at what they have done and to question whether it is truly “right.”
The Questioning
The “questioning” is a stage in their character development where Preston and Partridge start to question their world and everything about it. Preston manifests this stage by being reluctant to kill sense offenders and destroying the emotionally stimulating material that the government raids. He continues this path by refusing to take his daily doses of Prozium so that he can continue to explore the full gamut of his emotions. On the other end of the spectrum, Montague starts his path of questioning the world he lives in by reading the book that he stole from the burning home. He continues to read other books he has secretly acquired and begins to question whether banning books had any wisdom at all.
The Search
It is at this point that both characters enter a period that can be described as “the search”. They both attempt to search out answers from someone that is more knowledgeable than them. Montag seeks out a former English professor by the name of Faber to help him know more about the various messages that are in the books he reads. Preston, on the other hand, sought out Jurgen, the leader of the resistance, so that he could understand more about the problems in the world and what is necessary to correct it.
The Realization
In the end, both characters enter into a stage that can be described as “the realization” where they come to see the society they are in as being cruel, repressive and in desperate need of change. Both characters come to this realization as a result of their respective relationships with women (Mildred for Montag and Mary for Preston). It is through this realization that both characters now seek to confront the “ills” of the society they are in.
The Confrontation
This stage of their character development involves a confrontation with what can only be described as a manifestation of their former lives. For Preston, it is his new partner Brandt while for Montag it is his boss Beatty. In both cases, the individuals the main characters confront symbolize who they once were, namely, people that work for the government without thinking about how their actions could have socially damaging consequences.
The Rebirth
The end of their character development is a stage of rebirth where the world that they live in undergoes a massive change. For Preston, this comes in the form of the premium factory and the government being destroyed resulting in the rebirth of his society. Montag experiences a more destructive rebirth where the city he once lived in was destroyed by a nuclear bomb. Fortunately, Montag and several survivors who protected the knowledge of books were outside of the city at the time and approached it in the aftermath with the hope of creating a rebirth of society.