Ray Bradbury speaks mostly through the character of Montag, but sometimes, as a means of explaining how things are and how things got to be the way they are in the society of the storym he speaks through Clarisse and through Beatty.  An example of the the importance of the freedom of speech and what happens when it's gone comes about with Clarisse.  She expresses what she thinks and feels and before the reader gets to the end of the first part, she has been killed.  Early in the second part of the novel, "The Sieve and the Sand", Montag questions why the bombers are flying overhead so much.  He asks Faber if they've forgotten that two atomic wars have been won already.  Then he says that maybe if the people read books, they won't make the "same damn insane mistakes".  That's Bradbury saying that history is important and if people don't remember it then they are doomed to repeat it.  An example of machines as helpers to humans is seen in the part where Mildred takes an overdose of pills.  The portable machine that cleanses her blood without her having to go to a hospital is a good and helpful innovation.  The clearest examples of the hindrances of mechanical innovations are seen in the wall TV's that have taken over people's lives and in the mechanical hound.   Bradbury shows us that the mindless characters like Mildred and her friends live for their TV even though what is shown is pure brainless programming.  The mechanical hound which has replaced the firehouse dalmation is sinister and clearly shows a machine as an enemy.

In the novel, Bradbury is providing warnings about the dangers of too much conformity as well as the dangers of relying too much on technology. The burning of books and the rewriting of history to keep from offending anyone gives emphasis to the fact that differences within society and free thinking is part of what makes society what it is.

The fact that the machines enforce the laws shows that too much reliance on machines can be a hindrance to progress. People in the book where mesmerized by "tv" stories that didn't mean anything. Everything was completely generic, supposedly keeping from offending anyone, but in reality it kept individuals from thinking for themselves.

This is also why it is important to remember and understand history, which is another theme. The firefighters regulate the reading of books. History is remembered only as the governing authorities allow it to be. The result is, again, a society that doesn't think. The outcasts who are memorizing books and trying to retain culture show the author's true belief. They understand that history, literature, and cultural differences are important to promote individualism. They belief that one day society will value opinions again, and that history and literature will be needed in order to bring philosophy and thinking back.

How do the author and characters in Fahrenheit 451 address freedom of speech?

Montag lives in a society where not only speech is controlled (through the burning of books, and the production of only informational materials), but also thoughts.  Controlling speech helps to control thoughts, and as the kids in schools are crammed full of factual, useless information, then kept busy watching t.v. and smashing cars on the weekend, they have no room or time for true thinking.  Clariss mentions that at school

"we never ask questions; they just run the answers at you, bing, bing, bing."

This indicates that speech--and thought--is being controlled by the teachers.  They give all of the answers and information the kids need so that kids can't or don't need to ask questions at all, or express curiosity through speech.  And, since Clarisse is a curious girl, and very happy being so, Bradbury seems to be indicating that the repression of speech and thought leads to shallow, violent, non-connected human beings who just follow whatever orders are given to them.

Beatty's speech to Montag gives more background on how speech and expression of thought through words is repressed.  Beatty states society's attitude towards people who expressed themselves through writing and thought:

"Authors, full of evil thoughts lock up your typewriters...Books, so the...critics said, were dishwater...a book is a loaded gun next door.  Burn it...breach man's mind.  Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?  Me?  I won't stomach them for a minute."

Through Montag's society, Bradbury is pointing out what happens in our society all too often.  Expression of speech allows mankind to express individuality, and views that might contradict the powers to be, or cause rebellion and dissatisfaction in the masses.  In order to control the masses, we control the information.  We don't report on protest rallies that occur.  We don't allow certain books or news items to be published.  We discourage and defame anyone who speaks anything against what the powers that be want to be heard.  Bradbury, through the use of this dystopia, indicates that the lack of free speech in society means the lack of discussion, progress, thinking minds, individuality and freedom.

I hope that these thoughts help; good luck!

How do the characters' stands in Fahrenheit 451 relate to conformity and freedom of speech?

Ray Bradbury, the author of the book, lets his characters make his point for him. The characters take very courageous stands in their fight for books and freedom of thought. The first character who shows the importance of taking a stand is the old woman who lights a match and commits suicide because he feels life is not worth living without her books. in addition, Clarisse continues to be brave, even after being hit by a car in an effort to silence her people. She helps initiate Montag into her group in spite of the risks to herself. Montag, himself, finally gains the courage to stand up to society and makes a run for the river, in spite of being chased by the mechanical hound. And finally, the hobos Montag meets have allowed themselves to live as outcasts, dressed as hobos, so each can be a receptacle for a piece of literature. They did this all as part of a noble mission to preserve knowledge and prevent people future ages from making the mistakes of Montag's generation.

This question seems to be an essay prompt, so I hope that you can form some of your own opinions on how you feel about Bradbury's stance on some of these issues.  I can't help you to decide whether you feel Bradbury is right or wrong, but I can help you to clarify what Bradbury's stance is on at least one of those themes.  The guidelines for this website allow for one question a day, so I will help you out with the first theme, and I suggest submitting the others on separate days.

In "Fahrenheit 451" Bradbury showed a strong belief in individuality, and how expressing individuality is healthy.  He indicated that mass conformity only led to misery, unhappiness, repression from the government, and the inability to think for oneself.  The best examples of the two extremes are Clarisse and Mildred.  Clarisse was an individual. She questioned everything, thought for herself, and as a result, was very happy.  Mildred on the other hand, did not think for herself; instead, she consumed massive amounts of media that kept her thoughts at a very shallow level, she conformed to society's beliefs about family, relationships, and what life should be, and, was so miserable that she attempted to kill herself.  The message Bradbury is sending is clear:  individuality and thinking for oneself is the the key to happiness and fulfillment, whereas blind conformity with no thoughts or individuality leads to misery and annihilation of any sense of self.

Clarisse--and self-fulfilled individuals--exude happiness, and a large part of that is because they think and question things.  Clarisse states, "sometimes I just sit and think," and she likes to figure people out, and why they are the way that they are.  Whereas Mildred, or conformed individuals, don't care.  Instead, they go out and drive their cars fast.  And, Montag's society embraces and encourages such behavior.  Beatty tells Montag that his society likes to feed them a lot of useless information so that "they'll feel they're 'brilliant'...and they'll be happy" because they'll feel like they're learning, but they're not.  He states,

"if you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one.  Better yet, give him none."

Control of information means control of thinking, and that is the ultimate goal of conformity in Montag's society.

In the end, it is the individuals, the thinkers, and the people who stood apart and refused to conform that ultimately survive the wars of Montag's world.  And it will be them that fixes things, and rebuilds civilization.  That alone indicates that Bradbury believes in individuality, and thinks it is the key to happiness and success.  I hope that those thoughts help a bit; good luck!