In Fahrenheit 451, firemen don't put out fires - they start them in order to burn books. Bradbury's vividly painted society holds up the appearance of happiness as the highest goal - a place where trivial information is good, and knowledge and ideas are bad. Fire Captain Beatty explains it this way, "Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs.... Don't give them slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy."
Guy Montag is a book-burning fireman undergoing a crisis of faith. His wife spends all day with her television "family," imploring Montag to work harder so that they can afford a fourth TV wall. Their dull, empty life sharply contrasts with that of his next-door neighbor Clarisse, a young girl thrilled by the ideas in books, and more interested in what she can see in the world around her than in the mindless chatter of the tube. When Clarisse disappears mysteriously, Montag is moved to make some changes, and starts hiding books in his home. Eventually, his wife turns him in, and he must answer the call to burn his secret cache of books. After fleeing to avoid arrest, Montag winds up joining an outlaw band of scholars who keep the contents of books in their heads, waiting for the time society will once again need the wisdom of literature.
This is a classic book in every sense of the word. Although it was written 53 years ago, it might be even more relevant today than it was back then. The world that is described in the book is actually frighteningly close to the world we currently live in. Of course, there aren't any firemen lighting houses on fire for containing books, but there are plenty of people who are constantly glued to the TV, raised by television families and (whether they admit it or not) consider TV an integral part of their everyday life. Currently, there are TV shows about TV shows and game shows that test your pop culture knowledge. There's even several shows that try to suck in the viewers by allowing them to "participate" by voting for their favorite character and then broadcasting a separate show to announce the results. I won't claim I'm completely immune and don't watch TV, but I am going to try to limit it as much as possible. Fight the trend and exercise your brain. Here's a suggestion: read this book.
Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Would I read it again: Yes
Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury
Paperback: 208 pages
Released: 1953
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