Book Review

Title: Fahrenheit 451

Author: Ray Bradbury
As an avid reader of dystopian novels, I chose to read the classic, Fahrenheit 451, as the bizarre
book-burning city presented in the synopsis piqued my interest. This novel is a recount of the life of
Guy Montag, a fireman who burns books in a futuristic American city where the inhabitants do not
read due to their disinterest and fear of books. Montags initial faith in his profession and society is
swayed by a series of disturbing events which cause him to realize the meaninglessness and
superficiality of his life. Montag thus begins the search for a solution to his dissatisfaction with life, first
within a stash of contraband books stolen from previous fires and then by consulting a retired English
professor called Faber. Despite the fire chief, Captain Beattys, repeated attempts to delude Montag
into accepting a life without books, Montag, no longer able to suppress his discontentment with life,
collaborates with Faber to topple his societys censorship on books and even reads poetry to his
wifes friends to convince them of the value of reading. However, Montag is betrayed by his wife, who
reports him to the firemen, and is forced to flee the city. Fortunately, Montag successfully escapes,
meets a group of book lovers who have memorized many great works of literature and philosophy
and is tasked with memorizing the Book of Ecclesiastes. After Montags city has been destroyed by
war, Montag and the book lovers return to the city to rebuild civilization with their knowledge from
books.
The central theme in this novel is the battle between knowledge and ignorance. In Montags society,
ignorance abounds. The book-burning firemen are warlocks of ignorance, destroying knowledge with
the rationale of maintaining equality and preventing conflict due to free speech. Television, fast cars,
loud music and advertisements too are weapons of ignorance, creating a lifestyle with too much
distractions for denizens to concentrate on reading. Consequently, without knowledge from reading
books, the inhabitants of the city like Montags wife lead meaningless, ignorant lives dominated by
trivial entertainment and superficial conversation. However, knowledge ultimately prevails as
Montags thirst for knowledge and meaning in life leads him to rebel against the societal order of
censorship and ignorance. Indeed, in this novel, ignorance is not bliss.
Perhaps, the most intriguing aspect of Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 is his characterization of Mildred,
Montags wife. Mildred is cold, distant and unreadable, a seeming purveyor of ignorance until one
looks deep into her character and discovers the fierce yet subtle battle between knowledge and
ignorance raging within her. Her suicide attempt and obsession with television reveal her yearning to
escape the agony of the meaningless, ignorant life she is leading. However, her subconscious
discontentment with life is numbed by the trivial soap operas she is glued to and the fear of books
ingrained within her by the societal order of censorship and ignorance. It is her suicide attempt that
impels Montag to reflect on the superficiality of his life and begin his quest for knowledge. Yet, it is
also her treachery that causes Montag to blunder in his pursuit of knowledge and that eventually
forces him to flee the city. Mildreds betrayal of her husband reflects her ultimate capitulation to
ignorance.

In conclusion, I would appeal to everyone to read Bradburys Fahrenheit 451. It serves as a stark
warning to all of us that contrary to popular belief, ignorance, making for a superficial, meaningless
life, may not be bliss, whilst reminding us to treasure the world of books and the knowledge it
contains.