The Darkness Hidden in the Light: Fahrenheit 451 vs.

The

Truman Show

by: Courtney Behn

Which is better: living in a world where nothing revolves around you or living in a world

where everything revolves around you? Some may falsely believe that living in a society like

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, where it seems like the whole world is against your desires and

morality, would be the most dreadful because they are misled to believe that one’s individuality

and existentialist point of life would be taken away in living in a world like that. However, what

these people may lack to comprehend is that living in a society like that actually allows more

freedom for living your own life; contrary to this, Andrew Niccol's The Truman Show focuses on

a man who lives in a world where he is their main character, and everyone and everything is

staged in his life, which leaves him no room to find his own existentialist point of life, and this is

actually more mentally damaging. Look at it this way: imagine if you found out that your closest

friend, whom you have known since childhood, truly never cared about you at all, and

everything they have ever said to you, even your fondest memories, were all fake; that would

hurt you much more mentally and emotionally than blatantly knowing that someone doesn’t like

you, and this is what the biggest difference is between these two dystopian stories. After

analyzing the relationships that each character has with others, along with the freedom they

have in their world and their ability to develop their own identity, it is clear that the dystopian

society of The Truman Show is darker than that of Fahrenheit 451.

Relationships influence the behavior and character of a person, and the fake

relationships that Truman has in The Truman Show are more harmful than the dead-end
relationships that Montag is involved with in Fahrenheit 451, which proves that The Truman

Show is the darker dystopian society. At the beginning of Fahrenheit 451, Montag doesn’t seem

to have any close friends; however, when Clarisse and Faber are introduced at different periods

in the story, Montag interacts with them in deeper and more thoughtful ways compared to his

interactions with people like his wife or the other firemen: “Above all, their laughter was relaxed

and hearty and not forced in any way, coming from the house that lit so brightly this late at night

while all the other houses were kept to themselves in darkness. Montag heard the voices

talking, talking, talking, giving, talking, weaving, reweaving their hypnotic web” (Bradbury 21).

The reason Montag’s interactions are different with Clarisse and Faber as opposed to others is

because these two characters share the same beliefs and ideology as Montag, whereas others

are not as intellectually advanced. Even when both characters are no longer with Montag, their

influence on him as an individual stays with him; this quickly leads him to the realization that it is

better to be his own friend than to waste his time forming bonds with people that are too

long-gone. It is important to understand that Montag is actually able to realize this at a

remarkably fast rate; what is different about The Truman Show is that Truman is manipulated,

since birth, to trust and believe everything that his “family” and “friends” say to him: “We accept

the reality of the world with which we are presented” (Niccol). Because of this groomed

ignorance, Truman has a difficult time being able to realize that he is being manipulated, which

is why it takes him so long to figure things out. The relationships he has with these people are

toxic, but he is so well-programmed that he doesn’t even realize it, and he continues to express

his feelings and thoughts to people like his wife Meryl and his best friend Marlon. Because of

the way Truman and Montag interact in their relationships with people, it proves that The

Truman Show is darker since Truman ignorantly trusts his fake friends, whereas Montag is able

to realize and accept his world’s blindness and be stronger individually.

 Sometimes, the most restricted people feel the most freedom, and those who are

allowed to live freely feel the most trapped; this is where a significant difference in the level of

darkness in the dystopian societies of The Truman Show and Fahrenheit 451 are most present.

In The Truman Show, Truman is allowed no freedom whatsoever, as his life is being watched

worldwide 24/7: “Everybody knows about you. Everybody knows everything you do” (Niccol).

Truman feels hopeless and stuck since he cannot escape anyone or anything in his world, and it

frustrates him. This makes him feel as if he is going insane, and it causes him to lose trust in

himself and second-guess everything he thinks, even though he knows it is right; this may not

physically break him down, but the mental harm that such a situation causes is clearly dark and

dangerous. On the other hand, most would argue that Fahrenheit 451 would lack the most

freedom since the main character’s ambitions are against the law; however, Montag actually has

quite a bit of freedom once a deeper look is taken at his situation: "Stuff your eyes with wonder.

Live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream

made or paid for in factories" (Bradbury). Although what Montag is doing is illegal, he is still able

to go about his own way and do what he wants; unlike Truman, whose every move and word is

being watched, Montag lives in a society where he can be himself because most people aren’t

even paying attention to him. He has the ability to explore, dream, relax, and ultimately enjoy

himself with only himself, not himself and millions of others. Both Truman and Montag are

trapped in a world of eyes, however, the eyes in Montag’s world are blind, whereas Truman’s

are wide open, always watching; this significant difference in the amount of freedom that both

characters are allowed shows why The Truman Show is a darker dystopia than Fahrenheit 451.

Identity is built from hardships and controversy, so one cannot have a true identity if they

are never exposed to such things; Fahrenheit 451 presents many hardships for Montag,

whereas The Truman Show tries to give Truman a perfect life. Montag goes through a series of
hardships and self-inciting events, and this is what makes him stand out in his society, which is

full of brainwashed, ignorant people: “If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll

never learn” (Bradbury). Although what he goes through is extremely tough and causes him to

reach some very low points at times, Montag develops grit, passion, and a strong sense of

self-worth throughout the story, and in the end, this all makes him a better, happier person

mentally. Life is not meant to be easy, and this is because life is meant to make people find out

who they are, and that cannot be done if things always went how we want them to go. Truman is

unable to develop his own individuality in his society because literally everyone knows who he is

since his life is manipulated like a puppet on a string by Christof, the show’s creator: “I know you

better than you know yourself” (Niccol). Truman’s true identity is not developed since he has

never been able to experience true, real events that would have been able to build his

character; as a result of this, he is lost and confused when it comes to truly knowing oneself.

Perhaps he could have grown up to be someone completely different if his life was actually his

own, not Christof’s vision of his own. The dark, deprecating world of The Truman Show strips

the ability for Truman to develop his own identity, whereas Fahrenheit 451 takes away

everything except that very strong psychological piece; therefore, The Truman Show is the

darker dystopian society.

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Andrew Niccol’s The Truman Show present very

different dystopian worlds; the world of Fahrenheit 451 is censored by authoritative powers,

whereas the other world of The Truman Show appears free as can be. Surprisingly, what is

hidden underneath is the complete opposite for both worlds: the psychological harm that

Truman, the main character of The Truman Show, suffers from are much more severe and

damaging than what Montag, the main character of Fahrenheit 451, goes through. This

significantly darker difference is seen when comparing and contrasting the way that Truman and
Montag interact with others, how much freedom each of them are truly allowed in their society,

and how their society builds their identity; in conclusion, The Truman Show is the overall darker

dystopian society.