Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 Review
The graphic novel Fahrenheit 451 is regarded Ray Bradbury’s tour de force. The
society that he depicted in the novel is so far alienated from the one we live
in today. At the same time, they are so similar.
At the outset, the novel was intended
to be made a short story called The
Fireman. However, later on, Ray Bradbury developed this short story into a
book called Fahrenheit 451. It is a dystopian novel, which in the literary
terminology means an imaginary civilization or state in which happiness is
unattainable. The readers after reading this novel feel, it is unattainable in
the society Ray Bradbury created.
To portray a dystopian society, writers portray a
caricature to their one in the future. It’s in the case of Fahrenheit 451. They
emphasize the negative traits of the society they live in, trying to predict
what will happen in the future. Ray Bradbury was one of the first writers who
used science fiction for social criticism.
Fahrenheit 451 is a graphic novel set in a country similar to the USA in the twenty-fourth century. The government, which Ray
Bradbury describes, is a form of despotism. It tries to cover itself with the
help of digital media and overdeveloped television. In this world of constant
entertainment, the government banned all the books. Even possession of anything
written is a serious crime. The main character of the novel is a “fireman”
called Guy Montag. His job is to destroy books and the collective knowledge
recorded in them.
In the world depicted by Ray
Bradbury, “the fireman” is no longer serving society or acts heroically. He has
to burn books and to destroy knowledge. Therefore, the title of the book “Fahrenheit 451” refers to the temperature at
which paper sets on fire.
The novel has an ideal character named Clarisse McClellan. She represents everything good in this world. She is smart, passionate, and she is not satisfied with superficial knowledge. Somehow she did not lose the ability to think freely. She plays the role of a foil for Guy Montag. He is the most typical person, and there is nothing extraordinary about him. Even the fact that Ray Bradbury named him “guy” proves his mediocracy. He does his job well and does not ask any questions. He is the product of his environment.
Instead of saving people, he
burns books. He is married but finds himself in love with Clarisse. Guy Montag
does not have the word “love” in his vocabulary, nor does he understand what it
is. He always thought that romantic love was a human invention. However,
Clarisse invokes true feelings of love in him. He starts speaking romantically
about her, “Her face, turned to him now, was a fragile milk crystal with a soft
and constant light in it.” The warmness of Clarisse is juxtaposed with the
coldness of Mildred, his wife.
Mildred is an abnormality even
in the world we live in today. She spends most of her time watching television
walls. Ignoring the problems and the world around her, the woman is only
worried about the program schedule. However, even with constant entertainment
and medication, the fact that she is unhappy cannot be concealed. At the
beginning of the book, Mildren attempts to commit suicide.
Another peculiar character in
the book is Captain Beatty, Montag’s superior. He is the only character in the
novel that has extensive knowledge of the past. Yet, he doesn’t know how to use
it (or chooses not to use it). He visits Montag and tells him about books and
its censorship. He also says that if a firefighter is caught having a book in
his house, he will be obliged to burn it in 24 hours. If he refuses, then the
other firemen will burn his house down.
Over the years, Montag was
hiding books in his house. However, he never dared to read them. When Mildred
learns that Montag was secretly bringing books into their home, she wants to
destroy them. Montag tells her that they will read them together, and see if
the books have any value.
Throughout the novel, Montag
goes through what we would call a slow conscious awareness. He starts as a
dedicated fireman, goes into the process of doubts. In the end, he rebels
against the system.
Fahrenheit 451 is a 1950’s prediction of the way the future
will be. What we see today corresponds with the world created by Ray Bradbury.
People became addicted to social media, to their devices, to TV. Everyone is
growing tolerance to violence and murder. The dystopian society illustrated in
the novel can serve as an eye-opener for the current one. It also can serve as
a reminder that life is fast, and happiness is not always easy to attain.
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