Fahrenheit 451 : A Book Report

This is a really cool cover.

I never read Fahrenheit 451 in middle school or high school, and I feel like I missed out. It's a shame that it took me so long to read it because I imagine that it would have had more of an impact on me if it had been required reading during my childhood. If the world of Fahrenheit 451 was my first image of a bleak future with a deceptive government taking control of information and thought, I probably would have been more impressed by it. It is a shame that I've already been exposed to so many examples similar dystopian futures, such as in Brazil, Equlibrium, Minority Report, 1984, Brave New World, and other books and movies that got to me before this one did. The same surprise isn't there for me, regardless of the fact that Fahrenheit 451 came before some of these examples, as the only thing that really matters is that I was exposed to the other worlds first.


Ray Bradbury's story is about a depressing future where firefighters burn books, and society in general lacks genuine emotion. The book's protagonist, Guy Montag, is a disillusioned firefighter who decides to rebel against the government/mainstream thought after accidentally reading a line from a book during one of his book burning missions. The book is split up into three large chapters: the first where Montag doesn't realize the value of books, the second where Guy becomes disillusioned and decides to rebel, and I won't reveal the nature of the third chapter just in case someone doesn't want anything spoiled.

Again, as I said earlier, if I had been exposed to this book as a child, I probably would have been much more impressed by the story. There are betrayals, people who don't want to realize the problems in the world around them, and characters who have done nothing wrong becoming criminals, etc. All aspects of the story that I've seen before. I was hoping that the characters themselves would be what sets the story apart from the others, and there is such a character in the story! **** HERE COMES A MINOR SPOILER FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK ***** There is a very interesting character of a seventeen year old woman, but she is killed off in the first chapter. Guy Montag is slightly interesting with his internal struggle, but that's about it. I'm sure that society itself should be looked at as a character within the story, but I've seen it before so I have difficulty appreciating it. You don't get to learn that much about the other characters.

One part of the story that I really enjoyed, which genuinely deviated from what I expected, was the idea of mechanical dogs with tranquilizer needles. I also was curious as to how the vehicles looked; I'm still not sure if everyone was driving a VW Beetle or not.

The book is clearly quite anti-television and pro-reading. The idea of small factoids and snippets of trivia overtaking fine literature and free thinking is a major theme, and an interesting one. I know that Ray Bradbuy just recently passed away, and I'm curious as to what his feelings are on his book many years after he wrote it. One could make the argument  that the evolution of electronics has aided in free thinking and the spreading of new ideas; although the internet can be used for wasting time and looking at junk, due to the accessibility of information online, new thoughts and philosophies travel much faster electronically than on paper. I'm sure he's probably been asked his feelings about this, so I'll have to do a little research.

Although my review may sound a little negative, this book is worth checking out if you are a sci-fi fan, especially if you enjoy dystopian futures. If you haven't been exposed to dystopian futures, you should run out and read this book now, as you will likely enjoy it more than I did.

Corey Hart's musical masterpiece Sunglasses at Night has a music video which is set in a dystopian future. Perhaps he is Guy Montag in sunglasses? You be the judge.

 

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