In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's classic, frightening vision of the future, 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.

Fahrenheit 451 book review

Fahrenheit 451 is a 190 page, high action novel, written by Ray Bradbury. The plot is about a man named Guy Montag, who is a Fireman. Only in his days, firemen aren't the same as they are now. This book is set in the future, and Montag didn't fight fires, he started them. He lives in days where books are prohibited. The government and the media control everything and everybody. People aren't allowed to read so that they can't be smart and don't know reality. Everybody in his society owns a parlor. A parlor is a huge TV that covers an entire wall of a house. Montag has a wife named Mildred, who lets the parlor get the best of her. At first, Montag loved his job and actually got joy out of watching books burn. His job takes a big turn after watching an elderly woman burn in her house for her books. He also took a book from her house and asks an old friend to help him come up with a plan to eliminate the firemen. I would recommend this book to anybody that likes action, and likes a little challenge in his or her reading.

Ray Bradbury has great characterization for each character. Montag is definitely the protagonist is this story because he understands what is wrong, and he wants to fix it so that nobody else is hurt from these firemen. The antagonists are the firemen and the government. The government is what created this illiterate, controlled society, and the firemen are what keep it like this. The great characterization helps the reader a lot, because when new names are mentioned, you're not clueless on whom they are. You know a little background on everybody and their relationship to the main character, Montag.

I think the theme of the book is: " Even if it's just you against the world, always fight for what is right." This is the theme because others are afraid to stand up to authority, but Montag isn't because he knows his good cause. He realized he was wrong for so long, and he then chose the right side; and he' willing to fight for the people that are scared to.

The language is very understandable. The author does use figurative language so the story is more intriguing. He uses great imagery to explain different settings people, and things. The author's language and style are very effective because while reading, you can actually visualize everything going on. The author's style is unique because his descriptions are like no other. His words allow the reader to actually experience what Montag does, which is what makes the story so rich.

The point of view changes from time to time. At times it is told in third person with dialogue, and at others, it is in first person. It's great to have different point of views because you get different perspectives on situations. When told in first person, advantages are you know Montag's feelings and thoughts. When it is in third person, you get a full overview. The tone also changes. It can be emotional or very action filled. When Montag expresses himself the tone gets emotional and calmer, but when there's lots of commotion it gets more hectic and dramatic.

The story's conflict is with Montag and his surroundings. The type of conflict is person vs. society. The plot definitely thoroughly explains the conflict with background on how it started, and possible resolutions.

Fahrenheit 451 is a great novel to read. It teaches us how lucky we are to have freedom in what we want to do. It also shows people that are very kept to themselves, to rise and let their voices be heard. It also helps us appreciate books more and embrace our intelligence.

My Favorite Amazon.com Pick this year!

This book is extremely entertaining, I couldn't put it down. It basically starts with a man in a dystopian society where the firemen don't put out fires, they start them. They are ordered to do this by a tyrannical ruler who does not want the masses to read, so he may control the country without anybody starting a revolt against him. This fireman is happy with his job, he loves to watch the flames burn the books, he knows nothing better. His life is fine until one day he meets the young woman and she makes him understand what life is all about. The adventure starts when he goes against mainstream society and instead of burning the books he reads them. I will not ruin the rest of the book for you but will only say that he faces many difficulties as a result of his choice to challenge the established order. READ THIS BOOK!

Also recommended: The Losers' Club by Richard Perez (Complete Restored Edition)

Prose.

That's all there is to it. I enjoyed the story somewhat, but it was nothing to die over: there are better dystopian novels to come out of the Cold War years. But what made me love this novel (notice the 5 stars) was the poetic, eccentric narrative. Some pages depart from prose, and actually become poetry, and then revert back again.

Due to the short length, this book can be done in a few hours, which is ideal for any casual reader. I would advise anyone to find the time to read through this book, just to enjoy Bradbury's prose, which has made a fan out of me.