Fahrenheit 451 Essay

Submitted By k_davis297
Words: 543
Pages: 3

“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury is an extremely unique story not only because of its ideologies, but because of its futuristic setting as well. The novel is set in a time period where everything is bigger, faster, and more “efficient.” Our story begins with the protagonist, Guy Montag, being obliviously in love with his job as a “fireman”- one whose job it is to start the fires that burn the illegal books. But soon, Montag meets his new neighbor, Clarisse McClellan, who begins to change his perspective on how he lives his life. Montag’s new outlook on his job, lifestyle, and personal choices soon have him questioning everything he has ever known. Montag starts his “transformation” by thinking about all of the things Clarisse has said to him. She mentions small facts, such as that “[there is] dew on the grass in the morning” (9), but these little things suddenly become very important to Montag. He realizes that he never took the time to notice the little things in life, such as how the rain feels or how the birds look when they fly. This fits into one of the themes of the story, ignorance. The general public is extremely ignorant towards all of the small pleasures in life. This futuristic society is so obsessed with having everything be faster, and less time-consuming, that they have forgotten how to appreciate the simple things. The main point of this society’s ignorance would be that all of the literature and books have been replaced by technology such as television and radios. The most obvious intent of this novel is conveying to the reader that books and reading are important to keep culture alive. By emphasizing the lack of literature and rich knowledge in Montag’s society, Ray Bradbury has intended to convince the reader that books are important. But, there is also an underlying purpose in this novel as well. By including small details such as the highway speed limits being immensely greater than they are now, and the fact that none of the citizens are allowed to take