Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury
Audience: 
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Book Rating: 
4.5
Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

About This Book

A totalitarian regime has ordered all books to be destroyed, but one of the book burners suddenly realizes their merit

Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames ... never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of past when people were not afraid. Then he met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think ... and Guy Mantag suddenly realized what he had to do!

Reviews

Anonymous

4

A Good Introduction To The Realm Of Science Fiction

I am writing this review as part of the EB First Look Program, I forgot to add this note to my other submissions. I have also written reviews for the books And Then There Were None and The Catcher In The Rye.

Fahrenheit 451 is scary in that there are many parallels that can be drawn to our lives today. While some parts of the dystopian society are more far-fetched than others, the book still accomplishes its goal of warning readers about the dangers of the path that modern society is headed down. I like when a book can be taken at more than face value which is exactly what you can do with this book. I liked this aspect of the book as it helped keep me engaged, as I was constantly trying to find parallels between my life and the book. This is a good book to read if you want to be introduced to the realm of classic science fiction. It is similar to many other books in its genre in regards to the themes it discusses: government censorship, willing submission, and death of knowledge. However, it presents these topics in a more digestible manner than other books such as 1984. My one critique of the book is that oftentimes I grew tired of the fact that everything seemed so lonely, there were other characters but at the same time, it felt like Guy Montag, the main protagonist, was always isolated. However, I understand that Ray Bradbury most likely intentionally wrote it in such a manner, as living in such a society would cause you to be isolated especially if you were in the same position as Guy Montag was. So in the end, my one critique is also in a way a compliment, as Ray Bradbury not only wrote about a dystopian society but wrote it in such a way that the readers could physically feel certain aspects of the said society. I enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it to high schoolers. Though the book could be read by middle schoolers I think a more mature understanding of the world would allow for a more mature interpretation of the book.

Anonymous

5

Fahrenheit 451

In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, the main character, Montag, is a firefighter that is supposed to burn books and start fires, not end them. The society believed in entertainment that lacked substance, which was shown through Montag's wife, Mildred. Mildred's heavy reliance on entertainment such as TV and "screen walls" demonstrates the unhappiness of the society, as many subconsciously try to commit suicide without knowing a direct reason. Montag's society did not allow him to read and obtain books, as they believed that it did not offer the immediate entertainment that the people desired. In my opinion, Fahrenheit 451 was a book that taught the true meaning and purpose of reading. Bradbury also tried to warn the readers of what society was heading towards, as he believed that more and more people were becoming dependent on technology to do everyday tasks. Bradbury's famous novel shows readers what society must change in order to avoid people like Mildred.

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