Fahrenheit 451

I rarely read fiction, but I'm glad I read this book! It's the work of a man who truly loves books. He brings to light people who are willing to die for the right to read. Because this is a scholarly classic, much as been said about the mechanical dog, the smokers who show up to do a blood transfusion, and the job of firemen morphing into setting fires rather than extinguishing them. All of these are elements that make the book quite intriguing. I was both troubled and relieved when Montag set Beatty afire. It seems that it was the best thing to do at the time. One reason I avoid fiction is that I don't like to go through such slaughters, but it's all just an illusion. And it was an appropriate way to take out a bully. Decades ago Bradbury was able to foresee that many would steer away from reading, instead choosing the easier path of sitting back and watching big TV screens allowing anything to take over their thinking. It's disturbing to see the scholars who walk the outskirts of the cities, homeless because the authorities have banished the readers. Those devoted to exercising their freedom, and helping others to learn the skill of freedom of thought are outcast. One of the most interesting aspects of this novel is its author, Ray Bradbury, who received his education in the libraries. He loved hanging out in the library. It was a safe-haven for him in a time of economic depression in the country. This is where he got his education, among the stacks and in the pages of the books. This says a lot for how one can get an education. The library is one big school that any literate person can dive into, assuming he has one he can access. This book is definitely a demonstration of the power of libraries. The word "library" is only mentioned a few times in the book, and each time it's in reference to personal libraries in people's homes. We can assume all the public libraries had already been destroyed by the time we show up in the sidelines of this story. It's useful to go through this exercise of what it might be like in a country where reading is banned and the government controls the minds of the people and watches out for their activities. Look around. Today, men like Snowden are helping us keep an eye on the activities of the fire department. We all need to closely watch as we decide what to do with our time each day. The classics do us no good until they're read. If people are so distracted with the little seashells and thimbles in their ear, with their TVs and their cell phones, getting lost in the media, then they lose sight of their own life. They get sucked up into entertainment, programming them with violent action and sitcom-style messages of what to drink and eat, and how to behave. In one of his own commentaries on his book, Ray Bradbury mentions that he wrote the original version of this novella straight through in about 9 days. He estimated that it cost him $9.80 in dimes that he put into the typewriter at the UCLA library. He needed to write in the library to avoid distraction from his children at home. And he needed to write quickly in the library so as not to burn up too many dimes. This is clear evidence that writing without thinking too much about it can produce powerful messages. This was a culmination of ideas that had been stirring up in his mind after he wrote The Pedestrian. This book is an important read for anyone who wants to keep her mind free from the media. It's a vivid warning that we need to stand guard. We are responsible for cultivating our egos and our minds. It's up to us to stop authoritarian thugs before their control goes from a spark to an out-of-control fire.

This book is set in a future society (through the lens of the American 1950’s) where a fireman’s job is not to stop fires, but to start them. We follow our protagonist, Guy Montag, as he contentedly goes to work everyday and burns books. Sometimes, if there are many books, he and his fellow fireman burn the entire house down, and they do it without question. One day, that question is posed by an eccentric young girl named Clarisse, who challenges Guy’s notions of why he lives the way that he does. He begins to realize that everything in his life is censored to keep him from thinking. The reasoning is ostensibly that hard and difficult thoughts and ideas (like those held in books) make people unhappy, as it forces them to think. As an added example, his wife spends all day at home with her “family,” which is really just a wall of televisions that keep her entertained and thus unthinking. I found it poignant that even in the early 50’s, television had been identified as a tool for media barons to spread mass influence, especially when you consider the addiction that television and media has become in today’s age. So, Guy pushes back against the system in control (by reading a book) and he is subsequently pursued as an outsider. His life is turned upside down, he flees, and by the end of our story, he finds himself amongst the rebels. These “rebels” are former college professors and intellectual thinkers who have been cast out of the system and now live in the forest as homeless men. Their mission in life, and how they show their resistance, is by remembering. They remember the knowledge of old, things that used to be held in books, and their hope is to someday bring humanity’s collective intelligence back to the forefront of society. What I really liked about this book was the thought put into the characters. Sure, Guy is your average guy, as his name suggests, and his wife is cast as the sucker of the system, refusing to be enlightened and instead choosing to live in blissful ignorance (at one point in the book, Guy is raising his concerns about not being happy in their shallow lives, and his wife responds “I’m tired of listening to this junk” and promptly turns from Guy back to her television program.) But I found it impressively accurate that the initial crack in the facade came from youth. At a certain age, people seem to come to a form of societal acceptance, and I loved that it was essentially a child who came along and finally asked the all important question: “Why?” It made me wonder, what do we adults lose by forgoing our ability to continually ask this question, both of ourselves and the world around us? Another character I liked was the fire captain Beatty. Every dystopian novel needs an antagonist and this is Beatty’s role. However, while it makes sense that the haggard professors comprise the resistance, Beatty is also an educated man having read many pieces of literature and views the information in books in an opposing light. He has found them to be endlessly contradictory, and thusly tools of unhappiness, and has found comfort in his mission to destroy them. I found it fascinating that the author showed learned characters who, when presented with the same world-choices, made opposing decisions. I think it really goes to show the differing wisdoms of individual people. Two people can read the same book, and while one can love it and the other hate it, both can be correct, because it is (in most cases) a subjective medium. Now, framed as the antagonist, some might say that Beatty took the ‘easy’ way out. But would it also be appropriate to suggest that in a world overflowing with chaos, he accepted the path of least resistance? Would there be merit in a condemnation of his choice, or should we opt for mercy? Or neither, and should we, as both readers of fiction and also members of our current society, accept his decision and the reasons behind it? I don’t have answers to these questions, and I think it wise not to try and decide. Instead, I think we should all periodically ponder them, especially as we find ourselves making similar decisions in our own lives, and watch others close to us do the same. Society doesn’t move forward when we force our opinions onto other. True merit is born of the perpetual quest for understanding and always asking why?

Fahrenheit 451, was written by Ray Bradbury, and won the National Book Award. In this book, literature is forbidden and it is the job of the well respected firemen to destroy them and the houses in which they are hidden. This story gives you a sense of uncertainty, and has many plot twists. It is written in the perspective of an experienced fireman, Montag, who takes pleasure in seeing the houses and books be engulfed by orange flames. But a series of unexpected events lead him to question his past and even begins breaking the law himself. This story is set in the future, where the government has forbid literature in hopes to repress everyone’s thoughts and knowledge. Technology is advancing quickly and everyone needs to have the latest; entire walls made of one television screen. Hours upon hours are spent with the television “families.” The few who have any sense are seen as odd and deemed as outcasts. Montag begins as a typical fireman. He just follows the rules and goes on with his life, unmindful of what is happening in the world. Much like everyone else in the society. As the story progresses, he becomes more of a risk-taker. He starts to act for himself instead of for the good of society. Montag’s wife, Mildred, on the other hand, stays consistent with her characteristics throughout the story. She is more of a selfish, person who has been brainwashed by television. Mildred is an unpredictable character who seems to be in high spirits, but she tries to commit suicide, by eating too many sleeping pills. From the beginning of the story, you can tell that something is different in their society, as firemen burn down houses rather than put out fires. A significant event occurs right off the bat when Montag meets Clarisse, a young insightful girl who opens Montag’s eyes to the past when books were legal and people didn’t spend all of their time in front of the television screen. Clarisse meets Montag everyday in the same spot, on his way to and from work. They converse about the past and to Montag, she seems so wise and he immediately befriends her. After awhile Montag’s life begins to change, he doesn’t seem to know his wife anymore and he begins to doubt his all his previous knowledge. Pretty soon, Montag and Clarisse’s meetings become routine. But suddenly Clarisse wasn’t there to greet him on his way home anymore. She had disappeared and her whole family was gone. Montag and his wife are growing further and further apart. After the unexpected disappearance of Clarisse, Montag begins hiding books in his own home, hoping that they will help him to know what to do next. After a session with the fire captain, Beatty, Montag realizes why books were forbidden, simply to ensure that no one would be smarter than anyone else. The government anticipated that in banning books, it would repress everyone’s thoughts and ideas, so no one would be too smart. And they hoped to let technology pretty much brainwash people into believing that literature is not worth their time. So, by letting technology be dominant over literature, one will lose their knowledge. And the government’s plan worked, they’ve created dumbed-down, technologically crazed clones. Montag refused to go to work for quite some time, but upon returning he made a new ally. Faber, a wise, old criminal, and Montag were fed up with the laws against books. The allies wanted to form a plan to rebel and legalize books again. They intended on planting books in firemen’s’ houses and then call the alarm. Montag knew their plan was risky and that if caught; he would surely go to prison and maybe be put to death. Before he and Faber even began to fulfill their plan, they encountered an unforeseen delay. While Montag was at work one day, the firemen got a call for a fire, nothing out of the unusual, but when they arrived at the house it was Montag’s own house. Mildred had turned him in. Because Montag was now a criminal, he has to go on the run. Meanwhile, war has broken out in the community. I’ll let you see for yourself how it ends. This book, because of the extensive detail, can be a little confusing at times. I would recommend it for older people. But, it’s very well written and I enjoyed reading it. It leaves you fearing a world with evolving technology and no literature. I believe that anyone looking for a fiction, dystopian novel, would take pleasure in reading this book as I did.

Fahrenheit 451 is one of my all time favorites. It's written in the third person, placing you into the shoes of an objective narrator who has special access to the thoughts and world view of the characters within the book, especially that of the protagonist. The protagonist (Guy Montag) actually begins the story as a sort of villain really. His profession is that of a future based fireman, who don’t really put out fires like they used to. In fact, they professionally start fires. What a clever twist on Bradbury’s part. These firemen are sanctioned by what one can only conclude to be a dystopian government to burn books, as well as the houses they are contained within. In this future world, the government has deemed books as dangerous, containing ideas that run counter to the narrative they wish to form and broadcast via televisions that cover entire walls within people’s homes. And the people want this, as they feel more comfortable with their government fed information. How dystopian indeed. Reminds one of the behavior of the Roman Catholic Church during the Dark Ages. The two have book burning in common, as well as burning Bibles (in the case of the RCC, Bibles that didn’t subscribe to their criteria – even though they came from source material originating from the same authors). No offense to Catholics – some Protestant sects weren’t much better (like the early Anglicans who destroyed much of the Church’s property, including relics, as did Orthodox Christians during the Iconoclast Era). Montag takes quite apparent joy in his job, causing a smile to overcome his face every time he gets to burn those devilish books. That is, until he becomes intrigued by a young neighbor girl named Clarisse. Clarisse is a female character that many feminists sadly overlook as to her importance in the overall arc of the story. Good on Bradbury for taking this approach, as you know what they say – “behind every great man, there’s an even greater woman”. This doesn’t always have to imply a spouse, mind you, and Bradbury exploited this fact while using Montag’s lame wife as a great contrast. Clarisse is somehow able to tap into Montag’s emotional capacity to better understand what exactly his job is harming, and how his otherwise dull life (including dull wife who serves as a great example of the brainwashed zombie like people of his society) could become so much more enriched by. This confrontation with not only Clarisse – but himself – causes a sort of psychosis for our villainous protagonist. And thus begins his character development that makes the book really begin to take off and hook the reader into the protagonist’s story arc and growth. At first, Montag struggles with his newfound understanding of the profound beauty of books. He is intrigued by the sense of wonder, emotion, and timelessness that books have to offer compared to the mind numbing talking heads that rule the day (sounds similar to our times with all the political talking heads telling how people should think, unlike books that allow people to draw their own conclusions). Yet he is still skeptical, resisting this newfound understanding as he continues in his line of work. He challenges the notion of books being a net positive for society along the way, including challenging protectors of books along the way. All of this amidst some unknown war going on in the background of the story that is never really described in much detail. I assume that Bradbury himself had assumed (living in the days of the Cold War between the US and the USSR) that some kind of war of that magnitude coming to fruition was sadly somewhat inevitable. As his change of heart is occurring, he struggles with his chief named Beatty (the antagonist of the story). Beatty is a walking contradiction, as he is full of knowledge pertaining to the books they burn. He is so well versed in their content by heart, yet seeks to eliminate books from existence on behalf of the government. Unlike Montag who simply found pleasure in his destructive line of work, Beatty knows full well every reason and intention as to why they do and takes pleasure in doing so. This, all while being so well versed in the knowledge and insights contained within them. He overall sees them as dangerous, yet behaves as if the type of knowledge contained within books should be reserved for elites rather than the average citizen. This antagonist displays the kind of pretentious attitude that perfectly captures what it means to convey the notion of a dystopian society within a book of this genre. After trials and tribulations in his struggle, Montag reaches a point where he is so moved by the message of a particular book, that he even steals it so that he can preserve it himself. As a Christian myself, I personally loved that this book just so happened to be a Bible. Why does Montag take such a personal infatuation with the Bible? It may be that Montag’s society is so lost that when bombs begin to fall toward the end, whatever Montag had read might help him and others rebuild society for the better. After all, the Bible is full of advice, and provides direction for moral and ethical enrichment. Certainly a new society would need guidelines to rebuild and improve over mistakes made in the past. Montag refers to the book of Job at one point in the story, as well as references made about Caanan. At the end, Montag even tries to recall parts of the books of Ecclesiastes and Revelation. The book of Revelation itself (arguably my favorite book of the Bible – I’m a fan of the dystopian genre after all) deals with the end of times. Although, perhaps Montag failed to recall this as quickly as he might because they are preparing to start a new life when the world appears to be ending. The novel ends with Montag escaping the city in the midst of this new war. He escapes deep into the countryside, meeting a band of roving intellectuals who have elected to preserve significant works of literature in their memory. Reminds me of the Vaudois, the Waldenses and the Albigenses who preserved the original books of scripture in spite of the persecution they suffered from the RCC. Not long after these roving intellectuals welcome Montag into their community, an atomic bomb falls on the city and reduces it to rubble. The next morning Montag leads the men on foot back toward the city with rebuilding in mind. The novel’s conclusion functions to bring the prevalent violence to its logical conclusion, which is that violence infiltrates nearly every aspect of the world our protagonist finds himself in. The firemen violently destroy people’s property and lives. Television displays gruesome, desensitizing violence for viewers’ entertainment. Pedestrians regularly get trampled by speeding vehicles. Finally, war takes these forms of violence to a new extreme, destroying society and its infrastructure altogether. The novel’s ending depicts the inevitable self-destruction of such an oppressive society in such an effective, and rather melancholy fashion. As stated in the beginning of the Fahrenheit 451 book review, this book is one of my all time favorites. It’s no wonder as to why I give it a 5/5 rating. Bradbury’s use of language is lyrical, yet not overly forceful. He paints a picture of a world in which we as a society should wish to avoid – in a multifaceted way. When it comes to dystopian books, this is truly a classic – and for good reason. Not only was it tremendous back in its heyday; it has stood the test of time, proving to be of use to us nearly 70 years later. I absolutely love Fahrenheit 451, and I believe you would too if you love dystopian fiction and have happened to somehow not have read it yet (it happens – later is better than never though!).

I LOVE this book. I think this book is very good to have and to read to your own children.

Purchased for my granddaughter, she loved it.

I listened to the audio book of Fahrenheit 451, narrated by Tim Robbins. The narration was excellent and Tim Robbins certainly made the most of Ray Bradbury's very vigorous and to the point style of writing in certain parts of the book to such an extent that I felt as if I was running with Guy Montag and experiencing his fear, pounding heart and uncertainty. This is one of the most unique dystopian novels I have read and is right up there with H.G. Wells with its incredible philosophical insight into human society, what makes us tick individually and as a group and how it could all go incredibly wrong if mankind, as a group, makes incorrect choices along the pathway leading into the future. What makes this book incredibly scary is how horribly possible it all is and how awful the black cloud of illiteracy and ignorance is and how it limits people's choices and abilities to progress and grow. All this being said, however, this book does end on an optimistic and hopeful note which is invigorating and uplifting, especially given the momentous issues that are currently staring mankind in the face like climate crisis and the fourth industrial revolution. Guy Montag is a fireman, whose job involves the destruction of books and the belongings and homes of people who go against the law of the nation and keep and read books. The reader is introduced to Guy in a happy state of enjoyment over his current burning and you get the impression that he is happy and fulfilled in his life and his work. Coming out of the train station at the end of his work shift, Guy meets Clarice, an unusual young woman who is a thinker. The reader quickly realises that she is incredibly unique in this time of book burning and technological dominance over creativity, thinking and, in essence, the spirit of man. Guy listens to what Clarice has to say, nothing specific, but a series of innocent ramblings with enough substance to make him think. She ends the evening by asking him if he is happy. Is he happy? As this leading question and an immediate and alarming set of circumstances in his home life, cause Guy Montag to consider the meaning of his whole life and the lives of those around him, he realises that he is not happy in his lifestyle of forced gaiety and non-conflict. He also comes to see that no-one else around him is happy either and that their lifestyles are meaningless and also emotionless. The beauty of this story is in it unerring ability to make the reader question his/her existence and the meaning of life. In the same manner as HG Wells depicted the Eloi, in his book The Time Machine, as being human creatures who have evolved into childlike and uninspired creature through living a Utopian type existence where there every need is met and there exists no conflict or hardship or anything else to spark thinking, innovation and progress. I saw parallels in the thinking process between HG Wells and Ray Bradbury and the recognition that a perfect Utopian environment would ultimately lead to the downfall of mankind as it would strip away our survival skills and instincts and we would not be able to cope with the resurgence of conflict and evil which is always bound to reappear in life. Perfection can only ever be a thin veneer over the underlying issues inherent in societies and human interaction which each other. This is an exceptional book and an inspired story.

Been off and on reading it all last year. So hard to keep up with the story