Book Review: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Read for: Banned Books Week
First of all, can I just say that I think it’s truly ironic that a book about books being illegal is banned?! I had no idea what this book was about when I first picked it up except the whole dystopian future thing. It seems pretty common for dystopian future books to be banned or at least challenged, doesn’t it?
Anyway, in this novel, written in the 1950s and set sometime after the turn of the century, firemen are no longer employed to fight fires, their new task is to start them. At the firehall they receive alerts that tip them off to the presence of books and off they go to burn down the house of whomever was hiding the books.
As the novel begins, Montag a fireman, enjoys starting fires but as he is walking home from work one day, he meets a young girl and what she says causes him to question what he has always thought. This girl actually plays a small role in the novel but is the catalyst for Montag to change his entire way of thinking and acting. She has a huge impact on him.
I don’t generally enjoy books in this genre and this was no exception. However, I can see the value in them, if that makes sense. And this one in particular was actually quite accurate in some ways. Montag’s wife was the epitome of everything that was wrong with their society. She had these little seashells that she wore in her ears and they were constantly playing news and ads and who knows what else. Remind you of anything? The other thing she did was spend the day in front of her wall sized televisions (3 walls, and she was saving up to do the fourth wall) watching other people live their lives. It reminded me a lot of reality TV. One night she invites her friends over to watch some TV with her and one of her friends says this
“I plunk the children in school nine days out of ten. I put up with them when they come home three days a month; its not bad at all. You heave them into the ‘parlour’ (what they call their TV rooms) and turn the switch. It’s like washing clothes: stuff laundry in and slam the lid.”
I have to admit, I’m guilty of doing this sometimes. In fact, just last week I was counting down the days until my oldest would go back to school because he was driving me crazy!
It’s creepy how well Bradbury was able to see the future. However, he didn’t foresee the internet and I think the internet is so important today in the sharing of information. As we’ve seen, it’s becoming harder and harder for governments and other authority figures to suppress the spread of information.
Although, as I’ve said, I didn’t really enjoy this book, I can understand it’s importance and appreciate Bradbury’s cleverness. And I definitely don’t think it should be banned or challenged. The only people who would want this book challenged would be people who support the suppression of information.
Tags: Guy Montag, Ray Bradbury
September 6th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Thanks for a well-written review!
I am a big fan of dystopian literature myself. I need to give this one a read, but I love Orwell’s 1984. He was pretty accurate too- the suppression of information, the idea that you need to accept the leader’s actions without question- reminds me of a leader in the recent past and many leaders in the world today.
I am really interested in this book because it is also about the burning and banning of books. You are right that it is completely ironic that a book about banning books would be banned. Just goes to show you that there are still people out there who do not believe in the freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and freedom of press- even in America, where it is our Constitutional right.
I can understand if you don’t want your child to read it- fine. But don’t keep everyone else from something just because you (this is you in general, of course, not you, specifically) are narrow-minded and afraid of new ideas.
I wonder what specifically you did not like about the book? Was it the writing style or the character of Montag or just that dystopian lit does not appeal to you? Just curious. I like to learn from others.
If you haven’t seen the book blog The Dangerous Pages Review, you should check it out. Sharazad has all kinds of information about banned and challenged books. It’s really great.
September 6th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Rebecca,
I just don’t enjoy this genre. The writing style wasn’t my favourite either – not bad, just not easy reading. I actually liked Montag. He cared, which was the opposite of most of the other characters in the novel. They were oppressed but they didn’t seem to realize it or were apathetic to it (or at least pretended to be). Montag realized it and tried to do something about it.
September 6th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I loved this book, and it scared the living daylights out of me. I’ve read a lot of “dystopian” books, but this is definitely in my top-three, along with 1984, and The Handmaid’s Tale.
I think the book was banned as it seemed to challenge the rights of the state to censor information, implying that such a government should be rebelled against. At that time, I think McCarthyism was prevalent, and supporting any “opposition” was considered bad. Not sure – might have gotten my history all wrong, but…
September 6th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
uncertainprinciples,
I think you are probably right with your history. It actually makes a lot of sense for that time period.
I haven’t read The Handmaid’s Tale yet but it’s on my bedside table, waiting. I wanted to read something lighter in between those two though, but it’s up next!
September 6th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
I got this as an audiobook read by the author, but Bradbury’s voice was so awful I couldn’t listen to it. :/
September 6th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Yeah, I can see that even with a pleasant voice this one might not be a good one for an audiobook.
September 7th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I enjoy dystopian lit, but in small doses. Definitely can’t do more than two back to back. This wasn’t my favourite in the genre, by any means, but like you, can respect its value.
September 10th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I like dystopian lit, but prefer character oriented dystopias. This was a little too 2D for me, but I appreciate its message.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:24 am
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