“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury – An Eerily Possible Scenario

The concept of the dystopian future was once extremely popular amongst science-fiction writers, and very few have capitalized on it as well as Ray Bradbury in his novel Fahrenheit 451¸at least in my opinion.

Before getting into what I think about it though, I just want to give a quick recap of what it’s about for those unfamiliar with or have forgotten it. In Fahrenheit 451, we follow the life of Guy Montag, a fireman… in the sense that he burns illegal possessions in the name of the government, such as books, and the houses they are stored in.

Being oblivious to what he is doing (destroying culture), Guy returns to his wife every night to live out his bleak and bland life.

One day, however, he meets a young woman named Clarisse who shows him how life used to be one day, before this lifeless present came to be. Eventually, Montag begins to put everything he knows into question, eventually giving in to the pleasure of literature.

Unfortunately for him though, keeping books in his house wasn't such a hot idea as he does get discovered eventually and is forced to go on the run as his own government goes after him.

For starters, I’d like to comment on the novel itself from a technical perspective. While there are passages with long descriptions without any real action happening, most of the book advances at a regular pace which isn't too slow nor too fast.

Naturally, the descriptions are necessary because after all, Ray Bradbury puts us into a world which is incredibly different from ours (well, at least when he wrote it), and we need to understand how it works so as not to question why certain characters do what they do. The language may be a bit complex for people who are still getting into the art of reading, but most shouldn't have a problem with it.

As for the story itself, it’s one of my favorite ones, partly because it predicted our world today, to a certain extent. What truly interests me above the story of the man who discovers the pleasures and benefits of knowledge and culture, is the world in which it takes place.

Practically everyone lives in the same fashion, being educated by television, being expected to follow the way which the government imposes on them. The people are incapable of rising not because they lack courage or numbers… they simply do not have the knowledge to do so, to find a reason to live under a different regime.

The way I see it, Ray Bradbury was thinking of his novel as being part fiction, part prediction. Why do I say that?

Well, today, less and less people are drawn to literature; people have developed a shorter attention span, relying mostly on audiovisual communication.

If you were to ask ten random people as to whether they read or watch television more, it’s practically guaranteed that most of them will tell you they watch more television, and most of the ones who can say they read more are probably older citizens.

The point is, we’re getting dangerously close to being dumbed down and brainwashed by our willingness to trust television more than books, and it seems Ray saw that coming.

All in all, Fahrenheit 451 is an incredible novel on every level, perhaps being one of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th century.

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Ray Douglas Bradbury (August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012) Personal site Author of the internationally-acclaimed Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury is one of the most distinguished science-fiction writers on this planet, known for his dystopian and partly-horrific sci-fi stories. His influence on American culture cannot be understated, with some claiming him to be responsible for turning science-fiction into a mainstream genre.