Book Review
The dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 951, is regarded as one of
Ray Bradbury’s best works; it has won several awards and was adapted into a
movie as well as a stage play. The novel, released in 1953, was based on the
short story, “The Fireman” that Bradbury released in 1951. The title of the
book, Fahrenheit 951, is said to be the temperature at which book paper burns,
which ties it perfectly to the story.
The book takes place in a futuristic American city where all forms of literary works are considered illegal to possess. The people living in this time don’t take the time to read, enjoy nature, or each other’s company for that matter; they spend their time racing cars and watching shows on TV’s that double as walls in their house. The first character we’re introduced to is Guy Montag, a fireman, which in that time means a man whose job it is to burn illegal books. Guy lives a pretty quiet life with his wife Margaret, they have no children, they own their own home with three TV walls, and everything seems to be perfect. While walking home from work on night, Montag runs into a young, naïve girl by the name of Clarisse McClellan. She, unlike the other people living within this book, has the nerve to ask questions; “Are you happy?” “How did you pick your work and how did you happen to think to take the job you have.” A series of events causes Montag to become dissatisfied with his life. He starts trying to find meaning in books he’s rescued (or stolen, rather) from fires he’s started. Next we’re introduced to Captain Beatty, Montag’s boss, who tries to explain to Montag why books are banned and spews quotes from books more than he actually uses his own words to speak. The last main character we meet is an old English professor named Faber, who tries to help Montag work through his inner turmoil. Overall, the characters in the book were well thought out and each played their role perfectly. I liked that Bradbury didn’t complicate the story with unnecessary characters, each person we were introduced to was a necessary component to make the story function and the story wouldn’t have made sense without them. The only character that I wasn’t fond of was Captain Beatty, however, I think that was the Bradbury’s intention when he created him. The story itself was slow moving at times, yet impossible to put down at others. I found myself confused and rereading some paragraphs that were filled with literary quotes, which I think is part of the reason I didn’t connect with Captain Beatty’s character. In the end, this novel causes the reader to stop and think about what a world without books would be like. What if the very same action that led you to that question was illegal? Fahrenheit 451 was published by Simon & Schuster and can be purchased wherever books are sold. |