451 Fahrenheit by Ray Bradbury - Book Review

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a highly praised dystopian novel published by Del Rey Books in 1953. The novel’s protagonist is Guy Montag, a fireman. However, in the future Bradbury imagined, firemen are the ones who start fires.

They are tasked with searching for books, any books, burning them and the houses they were in, as well as arresting their owners; reading books is no longer legal nor is it socially acceptable. 

Set in a future post-’90s where every minute of every day must be filled with some sort of media intake or the use of some sort of technology, breaking the societal norms is dangerous. 

Guy Montag is not entirely satisfied with the way his modern life is, he struggles to fit in that way of living, but he loved his job nonetheless, “it was a pleasure to burn”. This all changes, turning Guy’s life upside down when, instead of burning it, he falls in love with a book.

That is when his character starts to develop and he starts expanding his perception of reality, literature, history, and humanity. He meets people who have gone down that very road before him and through their interaction, a lot is revealed.

Bradbury’s imagined future has proven to have an almost prophetic insight when it comes to the effects of media and technology on societies. Unlike other dystopian novels, Bradbury’s primary focus is not on the political atmosphere but rather on the social atmosphere. 

In Fahrenheit 451, as well as in some of his interviews, Bradbury has expressed his concern regarding education. He feared the day when educators would stop teaching reading, he dreaded the moment when people would think they no longer needed books.

One of the most famous quotes from the book emphasizing his belief is “You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them”.

Ray Bradbury is a master of metaphors and symbolism. The language of the book flows and is filled with reflections and figurative statements. There is a very good reason why Fahrenheit 451 is deemed a classic. For all that this book gets a 9.5l10 rating.