Fahrentheit 451 is a dystopian soft science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury and was first published in 1953. It is a critique of what Bradbury saw as an increasingly dysfunctional American society, written in the early years of the Cold War. The plot is very original and ironic. The novel has often been thought of as provoking and makes you question your own knowledge and freedoms of modern life.
The novel describes a future in which books are forbidden, individuals are anti-social and self indulgent, and critical thought is unwelcome. The main character, Guy Montag, is employed as a fireman (”bookburner”). The number “451″ refers to the temperature, in fahrenheit, at which a book ignites into flames.
Bradbury has stated that the novel is not about censorship, he says that Fahrenheit 451 is a story about how television destroys interest in reading books, which ultimately leads to ignorance of total facts. Bradbury has also said that the entirety of his novel was written in the basement of UCLA’s Powell library on a pay typewriter. His intention in writing Fahrenheit 451 was to show his love for books and libraries. He has often referred to Montag as an allusion of himself.
Fahrenheit 451 takes place in an unspecified futuristic time in a rabidly anti-intellectual America that has completely abandoned self-control, and is filled with lawlessness in the streets, from teenagers crashing cars into people for a good time, to the firemen at Montag’s station setting their mechanical dog to hunt various animals in its kennel, simply for the pleasure of watching them die. Anyone caught reading books is confined in a mental hospital, while the books are burned. The restricted books that are found are mainly famous works of classic literature, such as the work of Whitman, Faulkner, and others. Also, it is mentioned that there is no classic artwork, only abstract, which is another way to destroy the minds of the intellectual.
The main character, Guy Montag, is a fireman who is very certain that his job, which includes burning books and the houses that hold them, and persecuting those who own them — is the right thing to do. He remembers a time in his early childhood when the power went out, and his mother lit a candle, and in the darkness, the candle gave an eerie light, which gave Montag comfort and security. He became a fireman after his grandfather and father.
One night on his way home from work, he meets a girl named Clarisse McClellan, a free-spirited 17 year old girl, whose free-thinking ideals cause him to question his life and his happiness. She tells him that she was told that a long time ago firemen would save houses from fire, not start them. Which he tells her isnt true. Montag discovers Clarisse McClellan knows many things that Montag has never considered. She recites poetry, the ideas of great philosophers, and she knows many facts about the world’s history. The relationship that they have is difficult to figure out, they seem to be in love with each other, despite the age difference. Montag is astounded by the information and opinions that Clarisse has to offer while Clarisse is interested in Montag’s experiences as a fireman. He later discovers Clarisse has mysteriously disappeared and that she had died from a being hit by a car.
   Â
While in the house of an old woman before the burning of her house, Montag accidentally reads a line in one of her books, “Time has fallen asleep in the afternoon sunshine”. This line encouraged him to take a book. The old woman refuses to leave her house and her books, choosing to light a match she had hidden from the firemen’s view, and she ignites the kerosene that they had spread around the house and sacrifices herself in the process. This disturbed Montag greatly, causing him to question why someone would kill themselves for a house full of books, unless it was for something greater then he had ever known. It is soon discovered that Montag has been secretly hiding dozens of books in the air vent of his own house, which he tries to memorize, but he soon becomes frustrated that the words seem to make no sense to him and he tries to look up to others for help.
Not trusting his knowledge and traumatized with a curious mind, he soon remembers, Faber, a very old retired English professor, that he had met one year earlier. Montag seeks Faber’s help, and Faber begins teaching Montag about the importance of literature in the attempt to make sense of human existence. He gives Montag a green bullet-shaped ear-piece so that he can guide him through his daily activities. Faber eagerly tries to help Montag and together they journey into the world to try to show others the importance of knowing their true past, even if it means murder.
A movie version of the novel was released in 1966, and it is rumored that a second version will begin filming this year. At least two BBC Radio 4 versions have also been aired, both of which follow the book very closely.
This American classic quickly became one of my favorite novels. Ray Bradbury is genious in the way he imagined the future to be. He imagined televisions that respond to humans only thirteen years after the television was originally invented, cordless “seashell” radios that fit in your ears, and a lethal mechanical hound that has eight legs. This novel made me realize how grateful I am for having the freedom we have to do what we want, say what we want, and read what we want.
Here are a few quotes from the amazing author, known as Ray Bradbury:
“Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious and anything self-conscious is lousy. You cannot try to do things. You simply must do things.”
-Ray Bradbury
“Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future.”
-Ray Bradbury
“I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true - hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don’t love something, then don’t do it.”
-Ray Bradbury
Â