Fahrenheit 451/ Gattaca

800 Words4 Pages
Do popular fiction texts have the capacity to address views of the future? Can the intended audience benefit from reading texts like these? Good morning, .................. and my fellow students. Both Ray Bradbury’s science fiction text, Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and Andrew Niccol’s dystopic film, Gattaca, are popular fiction texts which examine issues concerning dystopic societies. Both composers covey their ideas and perspectives about the future, their texts acting as cautionary tales which serve to warn their audiences about current issues and the dystopias that can arise from them. Through addressing specific themes, such as conformity, censorship and oppression these texts effectively educate audiences about current issues from which dystopias might develop. Conformity is a major theme expressed in Ray Bradbury’s text, Fahrenheit 451. This is effectively expressed through the persona of Mildred, Montag’s wife. In the novel, Mildred is known as a character who has no hope in resolving disputes within herself. She feels there is no purpose to life and thus attempts to suicide. She eventually becomes mesmerised by the world of technology it providing a way for her to escape her reality. Technologies such as television and the radio create a barrier in her relationship with her husband, Montag. Bradbury uses the character Mildred to warn the audience of how conformity can impact upon an individual’s choices as well as their relationships with others. Bradbury effectively portrays the concept of conformity through the use of his characters, particularly Mildred to inform the audience how dystopic societies may arise. Conformity is also expressed in the film Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol; this is particularly evident in the scene depicting the employees coming up the escalator with neutral expressions on their faces, all the characters being dressed in black.
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