Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
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Book Reviews of Fahrenheit 451
Book Review: Bradbury's classic parable on the evils of censorship
Summary: 5 Stars
I am teaching "Fahrenheit 451" as the example of a dsytopian novel in my Science Fiction class, although it is certainly one of the most atypical of that particular type of narrative discourse. Compared to such heavy weight examples as George Orwell's "1984," Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World," Yevgeny Zamiatin's "We," Ray Bradbury's imaginative meditation on censorship seems like light reading. But the delicious irony of a world in which firemen start fires remains postent and the idea of people memorizing books so they will be preserved for future generations is compelling. Of course, there have been more documented cases of "book burning," albeit in less literal forms, since "Fahrenheit 451" was first published in 1953, so an argument can be made that while all the public debate was over how close we were the Orwellian future envisioned in "1984," it is Bradbury's little parable that may well be more realistic (especially in terms of the effects of television).The novel is based on a short story, "The Fireman," that Bradbury published in "Galaxy Science Fiction" in 1951 and then expanded into "Fahrenheit 451" two years later. However, those who have studied Bradbury's writings caw trace key elements back to a 1948 story "Pillar of Fire" and the "Usher II" story from his 1950 work "The Martian Chronicles." Beyond that, there is the historical record of the Nazis burning books in 1933. The story is of a future world in which everyone understands that books are for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden. Guy Montage is a fireman who has been happy in his work for ten years, but suddenly finds himself asking questions when he meets a teenage girl and an old professor.
"Fahrenheit 451" is not only about censorship, but also about the inherent tension in advanced societies between knowledge and ignorance. Reading this novel again I am reminded about Pat Paulsen's editorial on the old "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (a series well acquainted with the perils of censorship) about how we might enjoy freedom of speech in this country but we do not enjoy freedom of hearing because "there is always the danger of something being said." Censorship, in practical terms, is the effort of those who do not want others to hear what they find offensive, for whatever reasons, basically because it leads to people thinking thoughts they do not want them to be thinking. Through the rambling diatribes of Captain Beatty, Bradbury makes this point quite clear to his readers.
Even though this is essentially a novella, Bradbury's work retains the charm of a short story. The recurring use of animal imagery throughout the story, the use of the mythic ideas of the salamander and the phoenix, make "Fahrenheit 451" more poetic than any other dystopian work. Even if it is predominantly a one note argument regarding censorship, it is impossible to deny that Bradbury makes a clear and convincing case for his position. Besides, there is something to be said for any work that insures that beyond the point at which water freezes the only other recognizable number on the Fahrenheit scale is the point at which book paper starts to burn.
Book Review: "We went right on insulting the dead..."
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been checking out some of the classics that I never gave a chance while in high school, now that I'm a much more aware and mature reader. "Fahrenheit 451" was something I always wanted to read but never got around to it. Well, I have finally read it and the time was very much well spent. Ray Bradbury offers a bleak and dim future where thinking for yourself is against the law.
Guy Montag's life had always been simple. He understood the order of things, and he understood the nature of his job. He was a fireman, and that entailed burning books and burning down the buildings that hid them. He never questioned it once and never felt guilty for what he was doing. Things take a different route when he meets a peculiar girl who asks the tough questions that he has never had to answer. And with those questions, he starts to think and wonder why things are the way they are. Ever since the meeting with this stranger, Montag is curious about the true nature of his job, leading to dangerous revelations that will put his very life in jeopardy.
Bradbury has created a magnificent piece of literature that attacks censorship and the numbing of society head on with no regrets and no remorse. He doesn't need to give us an exact year of this future, as that makes it all the more frightening. Even though this is a work of fiction, it seems so realistic and so possible that all of this could really happen to us. Think about it. We are now a "TV Generation" who spend a lot less time reading, people are trying to ban different types of books for different reasons, and anything that is deemed "unpleasant" is demanded to be "fixed" or "taken care of" so we can all feel happy and not deal with the pain and troubles of life. Bradbury captures all of this and does not give you a bitter rant about today's youth, but he uses all of that negative energy and creates something so profound and well established. It's no mistake that this fine novel has sold millions upon millions of copies and is forever deemed a classic.
The writing is simple to read and it is a short book. You will have to give it a few pages before you can really get into it all, but make sure that you stick with it. Once it gets moving, there's no stopping the pages. Bradbury is great with imagery and provides excellent descriptions--but never goes overboard with them. It's such a short read that you could most likely finish it in a day or two if you put the effort into it. Turn off that TV for just a few hours or so and pick this up! It definitely sticks in your head once it's all said and done, and you will be thinking about everything that has transpired in this book.
"Fahrenheit 451" is a tremendous work of fiction that is both thought-provoking and terrifying (in a subtle way). It really goes to show you how terrible things can get if censorship wins, and it really can happen if you think about it. If you haven't given this a read yet, I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy as soon as you can. This is a book that I know I will be re-reading again in the very near future. -Michael Crane
Book Review: A Future Look on Todays Society
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first began to read the book I was excited at the idea of a fireman's job was to burn books, not read them. As I read more I realized that this is what is happening to today's society but not to the same level of watching TV and not reading as much. People watch more TV than ever before and read less. You can ask anyone about any TV show and they probably have seen it. Reading books has become a inferior form of entertainment since the invention of TV and radios and other forms of entertainment.Montag, the main character in Fahrenheit 451, is a fireman who doesn't any longer put out fires, but starts the fires. The job of the fireman is to burn all books because they are illegal and not wanted in society. People have turned to wall TV's or parlor walls and seashell radios that fit in your ear for entertainment and pleasure and enjoyment so they don't have to have feelings and choose between right and wrong. People no longer care about their government or even their on children. Montag thinks that everyone is happy with their chosen society but he meets a girl named Clarisse who is a teenager that moved in next door to him. She talks to Montag about what firemen used to do and Montag couldn't believe what she was telling him. She asked him questions that made him think which he didn't like. She confused him but he listened to what she had to say and walked home from work with her everyday.
A few things that changed Montag's views of their so called happy society was when he found his wife lying on her bed having overdosed on her sleeping pills which could have killed her. These men came in to help her by cleaning out her stomach and purifying her blood stream and then they were on their way. Montag realized that this was an everyday event for these men and many people have tried this suicide attempt. Montag understands that the people may enjoy their entertainment but they are still unhappy. He and his wife were even unhappy and he was going to change this. A second reason was when they were called on duty to burn some old ladies books. The police usually would come and arrest the person committing the crimes but they had not come yet and the old lady wouldn't let them burn her books. The firemen covered the illegal books in kerosene and the lady actually lit the match that burnt her and her house down because she didn't want to live without her books. Montag didn't understand why someone would die for their books. What was so good about them? He got fired from his job for having books and ran away to try to change society. He met up with other men who used to be professors at a college and they decided to leave their city and try to start again somewhere else. As they left a bomb was dropped on their city and they saw the remains of the city and turned around to go and start their new society.
I really liked this book because I can relate to it. People in our society are reading less and enjoy the entertainment of television and radios just having fun in life. I don't think it will ever get as extreme as written in the novel but is closely related to it. I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone.
Book Review: Timely, thought-provoking, and still hopeful
Summary: 5 Stars
In Ray Bradbury's classic, Farenheit 451, he describes a terrifying but all-too-real world of sensory overload and thought-depravity. Guy Montag is a fireman, but this fire brigade doesn't put out fires (for houses are fire proofed with plastic coatings), but instead starts them, burning houses (and often people) where books are found. And people, for the most part, don't question the way of things; in fact, most people simply contributed to them, reading less and less, being less and less interested in dissenting views and complex views of reality. Instead people opt for graphic novels filled with sex, and talking "parlors," living rooms with televisions on three (and sometimes four) walls that surround the viewer in a virtual reality that becomes family, friends, entertainment, and knowledge. There is no taking walks, no late evening chats on the front porch; in short, little or no thought. But Guy slowly emerges from the haze of this contrived reality, as he first encounters a strange girl who doesn't seem to be charmed by the way things are, and then comes to see his own duties as a fireman as brutal and senseless. Didn't firemen used to actually put out fires? he wonders.
Montag, now repulsed by his occupation, starts looking for a way out. And on the way, he begins slipping books into his coat as he is burning houses, one here, one there, until he's got his own little library. But soon his captain, Beatty, is on to him, and the mechanical hound, the instrument of doom and seeker of people and books, finds him out. Montag is left with the choice, burn his own house or admit guilt. He starts his house ablaze, but then turns the flame thrower on Beatty and on the mechanical hound and makes a break for it. He is now a man on the run, but a free man for the first time. He finds himself among a group of run-aways along a deserted railroad track, and discovers they are former professors and preachers, and each one holds inside him a chapter or a book. One is Thoreau, one is Marcus Aurelius, one is Plato's Repulic, and so on. Montag is the book of Ecclesiastes. And as their civilization seems to be spiraling toward an end in a huge and destructive war, the wisdom of that great book, that everything has a time and a season, seems a pointer to the possibility of a new reality, a fresh start.
Bradbury's Farenheit 451 is a prophetic novel that bears freightening resemblance to our world today. Our culture resembles the reality he paints in its obsession with virtual reality (think "reality TV" and our obsession with this fictive family or friend network, as just one examle), media saturation, and shallowness. Our politics are driven by sound bites and media experts more than they are driven by policy positions and reasoned debates. Marketing is more important than product quality. And this is just the beginning. Reading Bradbury's classic is like a wake-up call to appreciate the wisdom of the ages, the beauty of friendships, the value of family, and the wonder that is a quiet walk in the woods. It is truly a treasure trove of reality, all tinged with the hope redemption.
Book Review: Absolutely Astounding
Summary: 5 Stars
It is an interesting thing to review an american classic, and furthermore to review a book by an literary legend. That being said, it is apparent to anyone who has read the novel of why exactly it is a classic. Bradbury is among those authors from the golden age of science fiction writing. The early to mid 20th century saw a surge of scifi writers, the most prominent standing out from among the crowd to bestow upon us today's required readings. No sarcasm there, infact moreso enthusiasm. Huxley, Orwell, and Bradbury (and the even earlier Wells) have all produced standing classics which are used by many facilities to teach. It is truly a wonderful thing.
Bradbury's book begins with a recount of the passion and the draw to burning. As a foreshadow, thiese paragraphs seek to write about a fireman in a futuristic dystopian society (dystopian in the quality of mental freedom). The society has, over time, allowed provisions to be made that completely cut out freedom of thought. However, the frightening thing deals with how they do this. Instead of just restricting books and other forms of published media, they have distracted the general public by means of electronic trickery. An advanced and much more frightening form of brainwash, the citizens are too caught up with "their family" (the referred is actually those on the television, whom they've become so ingrained with that they spend most of the day watching) to care about much else. This works for most, but not all, as humannature dictates. There are those behind the scenes, taking care of the dirty work.
Enter Guy Montag, a fireman with the local fire department. Unlike modern convention, firemen in this futuristic nightmare are set out to burn the aformentioned media. They carry bottle of kerosene, the adversary to their predecessors, and threaten to burn anyone who posesses printed literature. However, Montag dissents when he reads a book that he swiped and he begins to slowly support those who he has hunted for the past years. His captain, Beatty, is a fierce man with a sharp wit. He completely understands Montag's position, as he has lived it, however he sides strongly with the belief that books are the root of all evil and that by destroying them, the government is doing the people a favor. He twists the situation of brainwash into sounding almost appeasing.
Bradbury wrote the book in an amazing fashion. Taken from the life of "he who burns the books" (or the character who's job creates the actual problem), the story follows Montag into his general dissent and being hunted by those he previously worked for. Bradbury uses an amalgam of characters to shape our perception of this world, everything from the foundation upon his societal institution was based to the hidden war that is being waged. Without giving away too much information, it is sufficient to say that the conflict is resolves in a satisfying manner. One would suspect that such an occurence would happen during the upstart of such a ruled society, and I was pleased to see it concluded in that manner.